text
stringlengths 315
271k
| metadata
dict |
|---|---|
Trans Jews are Here: A Convening
Hosted by Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
March 29 - 31
Trans and non-binary Jewish individuals are welcome to come celebrate and explore the intersection of transgender identity and Jewish life. Hosted by Congregation Beit Simchat Torah with Keshet, the convening includes Shabbat experiences, workshops, panels, discussions, presentations, and performances.
Chesapeake Annual Day of Learning
Hosted by Reconstructing Judaism
2:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Join us for Jewish learning, a reception, Celebration of Honorees and dinner at the Chesapeake Annual Day of Learning at Oseh Shalom in Laurel, Md. | {
"date": "2023-06-07T15:54:13Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653930.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607143116-20230607173116-00745.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8770737051963806,
"token_count": 178,
"url": "https://us6.campaign-archive.com/?u=e8dc2f2d9405f4a028431548a&id=5c79b99303"
} |
From socialprotection-humanrights.org: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons face specific obstacles when it comes to accessing many of their rights, including their right to social protection.
The terms lesbian, gay, bisexual and pansexual refer to people’s sexual orientation, that is, who they experience sexual attraction towards; while transgender refers to gender identity, that is, “someone whose gender differs from the one they were given when they were born”. Terms like genderqueer and non-binary refer to people who fall outside the construction of gender as male or female. Intersex people are born with physical or biological sex characteristics such as reproductive or sexual anatomy, hormones or chromosomes that do not seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.
You’ve now found the staple t-shirt of your wardrobe. It’s made of 100% ring-spun cotton and is soft and comfy. The double stitching on the neckline and sleeves add more durability to what is sure to be a favorite!
• 100% ring-spun cotton
• Sport Grey is 90% ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Dark Heather is 65% polyester, 35% cotton
• 4.5 oz/yd² (153 g/m²)
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Quarter-turned to avoid crease down the center
• Blank product sourced from Bangladesh, Honduras, Haiti, Mexico, or Nicaragua | {
"date": "2021-08-02T02:48:58Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154302.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20210802012641-20210802042641-00229.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9274289608001709,
"token_count": 316,
"url": "https://bumperstickerpolitics.com/product/lgbtqi-white-text-short-sleeve-unisex-t-shirt/?v=f24485ae434a"
} |
The internet grows every day. Every second, one of us is making calls to an API, uploading images, and streaming the latest content. But what is the cost of this—is it free? This talk explores the reality of data, and what responsibilities we have as creators and consumers of tech.
Vaidehi is a senior engineer at DEV, where she builds community and helps improve the software careers of millions. She enjoys building and breaking code, but loves creating empathetic engineering teams a whole lot more. She is the creator of basecs and baseds, two writing series exploring the fundamentals of computer science and distributed systems. She also co-hosts the Base.cs Podcast, and is a producer of the BaseCS and Byte Sized video series.
Becoming a senior contributor to your organization takes years. It's a process that is stubbornly hard to accelerate - it takes much more than drilling code katas! In this talk Xavier reflect on situations he's encountered over the last decade, and apply some academic models he's found useful to explain and learn from them. By doing so we can better understand the limits to learning and prepare ourselves to make the most out of our experience.
Xavier recently moved back home to Melbourne after spending eight years in San Francisco, mostly as an engineering leader at Square. Currently working at Ferocia building Up, a fancy new digital bank. He's scheming to introduce the RubyConf 5K tradition to Australia.
What would you develop for Dreamcast using Ruby? I have made an mruby environment for Dreamcast, with a small game and a presentation tool. I will cover topics including how to get started, why Dreamcast, and some challenges I have faced. This session will be delivered on a Dreamcast console.
Yuji is a software developer based in Adelaide, South Australia. He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He used to be a Windows desktop application developer until he discovered Ruby. He also enjoys console video games, Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Are you tired of searching for the remote controls? We were in that category and that’s why we decided to replace remote controls and start using a smart assistant like Alexa instead. This talk will share knowledge on how to achieve this by using mruby/c and Sinatra.
Paul and Thanh are software developers at Monstar Lab Inc. Living in Matz's hometown, where Ruby is more than a programming language. They use Ruby purely for fun as Ruby is fun. Using Ruby only for traditional Ruby on Rails projects never satisfied them. For that reason they decided to experiment using mruby/c - a mini version of Ruby for one-chip microcontroller programming. Currently they are building more and more practical applications to inspire other Ruby lovers to start using Ruby for IoT.
A roller coaster journey of how to get the most out of pair-programming. Live on stage acting out highs, lows, do’s and don’ts of pair-programming. Laughs and tears are guaranteed as the audience connect on the difficulties and ultimately the rewards that can be reaped through effective pairing.
Selena and Michael met through work at Fresho! but soon realised they are the kind of friends who would rather talk tech at a party. So they turned their party times into numerous hackathons, coding camps, and duo talks and workshops on topics around test driving software and pair programming.
Nobody wants to inherit a project that reeks but here we are: Stuck in the tar pit. How can we get out? Could we have avoided it in the first place? In this talk you will learn how to use a few, great Ruby gems that will guide you out of that sticky tar you are in.
Ernesto is the Founder of Ombu Labs, a small software development company dedicated to building lean code. When he is not playing table tennis, he likes to maintain a few Ruby gems including database_cleaner and email-spec. He is passionate about writing less code, contributing to open source, and eating empanadas.
“Save your career?!” You’re probably thinking. “That’s a bit dramatic!” But so is someone saying “Thank goodness for these docs!” - and trust me, it does happen. In this talk, I’ll share battle-tested tips for writing tech documentation that people will come back to, time and time again.
Carmen is a software engineer, writer, and conference speaker, with a reputation for breaking people's code. Prior to her move into tech, she worked internationally as a corporate lawyer for almost seven years.
During the day, she is a software engineer at Valiant Finance, and at night, she's the host and producer of a YouTube channel called CodeFights, which teaches people how to solve coding questions in 15 minutes. In her spare time, she teaches flexibility classes, creates (often absurd) side projects, and fosters rescue dogs.
This is the story of migrating large parts of an application’s data layer from MongoDB to MySQL with zero downtime using Ruby. We’ll cover designing schemas to represent untyped data, dual writing to both databases, migrating old data and staging the cutover to the new database.
Matthew is a Site Reliability Engineer at Seer Medical maintaining a cloud based epilepsy diagnostics system. Previously, he was at Stile Education developing a science education platform for high school students. He enjoys the detective work of debugging issues in production, the delightful nature of writing Ruby and finding new ways to break systems early before they break in production.
An apprenticeship program creates a continuous learning environment. It helps all your engineers understand the technology stack, culture, and shared vocabulary. Learn how to develop and implement a robust apprenticeship program that creates a solid pipeline of talent that will grow your business.
Elle has been writing Ruby for over a decade. Currently at Blackmill, previously Development Director at thoughtbot New York. Elle believes in writing clean code, driven by automatic tests, with agile practices, an even work/life balance, and a respectful and inclusive team culture. Recently, she developed and ran an apprenticeship program for Qantas Hotels. When not immersed in the Ruby community, she is probably immersed in water, or lately in flour
In 1977, NASA launched the Voyager probes into space. Each carried a copper ‘vinyl’ record, with music, speech… and 115 images, all inscribed on the disc as audio! In this talk we’ll pretend to be aliens; we’ll use Ruby to read the audio, recreate the images, and learn some space history too. 🚀✨
Rob Howard is a web developer and figurative magpie. Having spent his career so far learning and mixing the nice parts from different programming languages, he'd like nothing better than to help technical communities learn more from each other, build better stuff, and have fun in the process.
Developing apps for users in different demographics is inherently differently than developing apps just for ourselves and for other programmers. Understanding the needs of our users — and learning to foster empathy for them — is just as much of a skill as learning Rails, Java or PHP!
Jamey is a non-binary adventurer from Buffalo, NY who wishes they were immortal so they’d have time to visit every coffee shop in the world. They're a Rails engineer who has recently been taking the plunge into DevRel and a panelist on the Greater than Code podcast. In their spare time, they do advocacy in the transgender community, write comics and spend as much time as possible in the forest.
Have you ever considered how much pressure your app can handle before it explodes? Do you want to know what’s your app’s bottleneck? I’ll teach how to build a performance testing framework, in RUBY!
I learnt Economics and Interpreting and Translation in Uni. But after I graduated I ended up being a dental nurse for 2.5 years. Then I realised I need a career that has bright future so I started to learn software testing. I taught myself the necessary coding skills to became a QA engineer. Later under the mentorship of the other software engineers at Airtasker I became one of them as well. I love Lord of the Rings to death! For me it's the best movie ever! I also love to make fondant cakes and according to my co-workers they are amazing :)
Everything I’ve learned about how to make ruby go fast with examples from writing a spell-checking gem I’ll go into how to improve your intuition about slow code, how to use and read the output of ruby-prof, rb-spy, Benchmark, Parallel, fast-ruby, etc, and the pitfalls to avoid when optimising code
I’ve been writing ruby for about 11 years now and have thoroughly fallen in love with the language. My other hobbies include writing bad fiction and taking bad photographs. I’m a kiwi and a vegetarian so you know I’m a terrible person.
The Grimoire is a collection of Ruby tricks. It’s a performance, a storybook adventure told by a particularly mad narrator weaving tales from the darkest corners of Ruby. Give your audience an experience they won’t forget, and a group of mischievous little lemurs a chance to warm your hearts.
Brandon is a Ruby Architect at Square working on the Frameworks team, defining standards for Ruby across the company. He's an artist who turned programmer who had a crazy idea to teach programming with cartoon lemurs and whimsy.
The tech industry is a way from creating a safe, nurturing, inclusive culture. This talk will encourage you to get involved in diversity and inclusion work at your company in whatever way makes sense to you. It includes a few pointers to get you started and stories to motivate you along the way.
Adel Smee is an Engineering Manager at Zendesk where, for the last four years, she has led innovation projects across a variety of technologies and grown a number of high performing teams. Her career in tech started with teaching people to code, before she decided to break out and get paid to do it commercially at a startup, then at Lonely Planet, and then at Zendesk. Along the way she realised that her main implicit motivator is delight in the success of others, which turns out to be a really useful quality in a manager. She is obsessed with what makes people (and herself) tick and loves to hear how she is getting it wrong so she can do better. Adel is an incurable optimist who believes that one day we’ll live in a world where everybody likes their job as much as she does, but isn’t naive enough to think that day is coming any time soon.
The talk will centre around: The benefits and challenges of working remotely How to hire remote workers How to build a remote first culture How to ensure that culture scales The benefits and challenges to a business of a remote first environment
Close to 10 years experience working in HR and Talent Acquisition and the last 3 years working and scaling remote businesses. I have worked in tech environments for the last 5 years and have become a huge advocate for remote working as a way of building and teams/businesses.
Rails and other frameworks let you quickly throw together ideas to get up and running quickly. But as your app grows, this can limit what you can do. How can we set ourselves up to get the benefits that come from using a framework, while staying flexible and not beholden to it?
Julian is a lead developer with 20 years experience, and has been hacking on Ruby for the last 13. Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, he now calls Melbourne home. Currently working at Envato, he has spent time at some of the biggest Rails shops in Australia. Julian also runs the Elixir Melbourne meetup group, and tries to spend as much time as possible inflicting functional programming paradigms on codebases he works in.
Do the principles on which a programming language is based shape the community that grows up around it? Heck yes. While writing my own programming language, I was reminded that language creates (not merely carries) meaning. I also learned that you don’t have to be Grace Hopper to write your own.
Hi, I’m Lena. I’m an avid cat rescuer, learning enthusiast, and Rails Bridge Wellington organising committee member. I started out in design, but fell for web and software development during my first industry internship. I've been writing Ruby since 2015, and I'm currently learning other languages to expand my toolkit. I’m all about finding patterns, building and communicating software in a way that helps everyone understands it, and failing better – mistakes make me a better developer, and I believe that failing is just an opportunity to learn. When I’m not coding, I’m watching movies with my 3-legged rescue cat Warlock, collecting enamel pins, and helping out and/or presenting at tech community events around town.
With a background in education and science communication, Caitlin loves learning new things and solving problems. She works as a Rails and Ember developer at TwoRedKites in Brisbane, and is a member of the Ruby Australia Committee. When she isn’t writing code or organising community events, she loves to eat cheese pizza and binge watch videos of cute animals.
Mel is a product loving backend Software Engineer at Qantas Hotels. Discovering (to her surprise) she actually truly loved computers after attending a Railsgirls event in 2014, she embarked on a journey to software developer only to learn the road never ends. When she's not busy solving technical problems she's escaping to travel somewhere with her family, preferably outdoors; camping, hiking or skiing. Her favourite place to be is anywhere but home. | {
"date": "2020-04-09T10:38:48Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371833063.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20200409091317-20200409121817-00390.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.959981381893158,
"token_count": 2887,
"url": "https://rubyconf.org.au/2020/speakers"
} |
As we move into a new year and a new decade we hope to be moving towards a more just and peaceful world, especially given the troubled times that people all over the world have been and are currently experiencing. And so, in this new year, we wish you lots of SISA spaces through 2020 and beyond! SISA? Yes! Safe, Inclusive, Sexuality-Affirming spaces – SISA spaces. Spaces that are safe from judgment and violence, inclusive of diverse identities, expressions and experiences, and affirming of one’s sexuality-related choices.
In that spirit, this anthology issue brings you a collection of articles from past issues that focus on safety, inclusion and affirmation, or the lack thereof because it is also important that we be able to discern their absence.
Shilpa Phadke in a wide-ranging interview with Shikha Aleya talks about women’s rights to take risks, to loiter, and to access public spaces, and rightly says, “A feminist utopia would be a moment when if one has the desire to step out at midnight one could simply do so without a thought just as if it were 9 am in the morning.” That’s a statement that people of all genders would definitely agree with. Shikha Aleya tells us interesting anecdotes about travel in public transport, women driving from Delhi to London, a group of wheelchair users travelling across India to conduct an accessibility audit, a journalist’s travels as a self-identified plus size traveller, among many others, to show how travel and sexuality influence each other all the time in subtle ways and through hammer blows.
Chayanika Shah reflects on how some of us, living in a highly segregated society that excludes ‘others’, travel away from our communities of birth to form our own communities of choice and reminds us that these, too, need to be scrutinised lest they too begin to become exclusive. It’s not just communities or groupings of people that can be exclusive, but real physical spaces can also be out of bounds as Smita Vanniyar has experienced more than once as a non-binary person.
What determines what’s out of bounds or within reach? Swati Vijaya and Debanuj Dasgupta describe two urban and distinct queer cafes – one in Delhi and one in Kolkata – and examine how access to them is enjoyed or restricted based on shifting consumption cultures in these cities and the class, caste and gender presentations of queer communities. Sohini Chatterjee, reflecting on a Pride Parade that she participated in, asks the question “How inclusive is inclusive?” and writes about the need to affirm that queer people must decide for themselves what their safe space is – be it in queer politics or outside of it, through resisting norms or blending in with the heteronormative world, to give just two examples – so that queer freedom is not ultimately circumscribed by queerness itself.
What makes for feeling safe? Though wanting to reclaim public spaces and making them safe for people to display love and affection, Anannya Chatterjee, questions whether all ‘public’ displays of affection are consensual and examines her own experiences with sex in public spaces as a heterosexual woman. For Jaya Sharma it is silent meditation retreats and BDSM sessions that offer her the possibility of feeling safe enough to allow adventures to happen. Japleen Pasricha finds that solo travel has brought her the gifts of courage and determination as well as unexpected delightful experiences. We have an anonymous author reminiscing about her time in a hostel in a liberal arts college in Delhi that afforded ‘radical’ safe spaces to her 18-year-old self exploring her sexuality and queerness. As she says, “When you could expose your deepest flaws, insecurities and identity crises to a group of people who would view it all with no judgment, you could finally love yourself.”
Abhiruchi Chatterjee reviews the book Mohanaswamy that beautifully illustrates aspects (as well as the lack) of inclusion and affirmation and Moulshri Mohan reviews the film Tales of the Night Fairies that highlights the spaces of resistance, resilience and affirmation for sex-workers.
In Hindi, we have a translation of Shika Aleya’s article where she urges all of us to envision the public spaces we visit and the private spaces we inhabit to be inclusive and accepting in every which way. Maybe one of the ways to begin to create a more inclusive and accepting world is through feminist parenting as Shilpa Phadke is doing!
Given how divisive and hate-filled the world currently seems to be, it is especially important that we hold on to the idea of safe, inclusive and affirming spaces as we begin a new year and move towards creating the world that we want. | {
"date": "2023-06-08T02:29:10Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654031.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608003500-20230608033500-00350.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9499370455741882,
"token_count": 1001,
"url": "https://www.tarshi.net/inplainspeak/editorial-anthology-issue/"
} |
in Gender, Sexuality & Relationship Diversity Therapy
July 2019 — July 2020
Blended learning experience delivered primarily online with a one-week residential in London on therapeutic work with people of diverse genders, sexualities, identities, relationships, lifestyles & practices
Founder, Pink Therapy
For the past three years, we’ve been offering a 2 year Post-Graduate Diploma in Working with Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversities, and based on the conversations we’ve had with colleagues from around the world we’ve restructured this programme.
You can now undertake our 1 year Foundation Certificate course which has been endorsed with Advanced Specialist Training Status by The National Counselling Society.
You’ll have the option to progress onto a 2nd year, receive a Post Graduate Diploma and become a licensed Pink Therapy Trainer.
FOUNDATION COURSE COMPULSORY ELEMENTS
✔ Residential Intensive — The course begins in late July with a five-day residential intensive in the beautiful grounds of the University of Roehampton in South West London.
This intensive week offers the opportunity for you to meet other participants in person and work at some depth on yourselves while developing clinical skills and knowledge.
✔ Theory Modules — there are eight theory modules studied during the first year. Through a combination of guided reading of core texts and video lectures, you’ll learn about a range of key subjects. You’ll answer a series of questions to demonstrate your understanding and critical reflection of the material and how this applies to your own practice as therapists. Two weeks after submitting your worksheets, you’ll attend a live, online 90-minute webinar with a subject specialist (either the module writer or another course tutor who has expertise in this area).
✔ Case Discussion Groups (CDG) — We are very committed to developing clinical excellence and enhancing best practice. Every four weeks, you’ll meet in groups of three via video conference where one participant will present a client with whom they are working and receive peer supervision and consultation. They will then write this process up and submit it to the tutor. These 90-minute sessions run once every month, and at the end of the cycle, the group will meet with one of CDG tutors for a further discussion and debrief. Each student will present six clients during the course. The CDG groups will be rotated to enable you to work with a wider range of fellow students and tutors.
FOUNDATION COURSE MODULES
The course is comprised of eight comprehensive modules authored and delivered by leading experts in the GSRD field.
Course materials are presented in formats to suit diverse learning styles all accessible from our well designed online learning portal.
✔ Module 1: Mental Health
✔ Module 2: Therapist Disclosure and Living and Working within Same Communities
✔ Module 3: Intersectionality
✔ Module 4: Coming Out
✔ Module 5: Shame and Internalised Oppression
✔ Module 6: Relationships
✔ Module 7: Gender Identities
✔ Module 8: Working with Gender and Sexuality Conflicts
Entry Requirements & Awards
As this is a post-graduate training, it is open to participants who have already satisfactorily completed a basic training to the equivalent of a Diploma in Counselling or Psychotherapy, Counselling Psychology or Clinical Psychology or Psychiatry. We’ll also consider applications from qualified allied health professionals involved in providing counselling support and advisory work (e.g. nurses, health advisors, social workers, occupational therapists, youth and community workers etc*). This is not a training in Therapeutic Counselling or Psychotherapy.
Candidates will also need to possess good levels of understanding in written and spoken English, as the course will only be offered in English.
As the course is almost all online, you’ll need a stable internet connection for your computer or tablet with camera and microphone.
There is a 100% attendance requirement for the CD Groups and the webinars. In the event you miss the live webinar due to exceptional circumstances, you can watch the video of the webinar and submit feedback to demonstrate participation.
As this is a specialist clinical training in working with GSRD clients, you need to already be working with clients who meet our definition of Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversities.
The definition is wide and we don’t expect that you are necessarily seeing clients from all of these communities/identities.
Gender, Sexuality & Relationship Diversities
There is a whole spectrum of different gender, sexuality and relationship expressions and we welcome those who are working with people engaged in consensual, albeit transgressive sexualities who are seeking a place to understand and be understood.
These include, but are not restricted to, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, celibate, polyamorous, non-monogamous; swingers and those involved in BDSM or Kink lifestyles or practices; or anyone who is trans or gender expansive (e.g. trans women, trans men, non binary people, cross dressers, genderqueer, androgynes, intersex people, and those living with variations in sex development).
Successful candidates who pass all the elements of the course will graduate with a Foundation Certificate in Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity Therapy.
*The Award for a qualified allied health professional would be a Foundation Certificate in Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity Studies.
To keep the course fees affordable and allow us to be as responsive and flexible as possible with the curriculum, we have decided for the time being to forgo University validation. We are accredited by the National Council of Psychotherapists as a training provider and this course has Advanced Specialist Training status with the National Counselling Society. We are delighted to have access to Professor Darren Langdridge of the Open University as our Course Consultant.
The course fees are £2,800 or €3,200, excluding UK VAT. They include tuition as well as accommodation and all meals at the five-day residential (additional nights can be arranged at a low cost if participants wish to arrive early or indeed stay on beyond the course).
UK VAT of currently 20% will be added.
For UK/EU residents: Course Fees are £3,360 or €3,840 including 20% UK VAT.
UK/EU VAT-registered businesses are exempt and must supply their tax number on enrolment.
For Rest-Of-World residents, Course Fees are £2,800 or €3,200 (no UK VAT chargeable).
A deposit of £500 or €500 is payable on acceptance of an offer of a place. Course fees can be paid in full (attracting a discount) or instalments to spread the cost.
Bursary: Pink Therapy has always had a commitment to capacity-building in disadvantaged groups who may be underrepresented in the counselling field. We will therefore be offering two of the 15 available places on the course at a 30% discount. There will be a bursary for a therapist who identifies as Trans and/or Non-Binary and another bursary for a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) therapist.
We ask you to complete an online application form outlining your training and experience to date, and then attend a video interview via Zoom.
We want you to be aware before applying that this course will occupy a significant amount of your time.
We anticipate that you will be spending about 5-10 hours per week studying for this course.
|✔ Guided reading & study||8 modules||15 hours each||120 hours|
|✔ Writing up worksheets||8 modules||5 hours each||40 hours|
|✔ Attendance at webinars||8 modules||1.5 hours each session||12 hours|
|✔ Community meetings||3 meetings||1 hour each||3 hours|
|✔ Peer case discussion groups||9 groups||1.5 hours each||13.5 hours|
|✔ Writing up case studies||3 cases||10 hours each||30 hours|
|✔ CDG tutorials||3 meetings||2 hours each||6 hours|
|✔ Research & writing essays||50 hours|
|✔ Summer residential||5 days||10 hours per day||50 hours|
For the full Course Schedule please click here.
We want you to be aware before applying that this course will occupy a significant amount of your time. We anticipate that you will be spending about 5-10 hours per week studying for this course.
✔ Guided reading & study – 120 hours
8 modules, 15 hours each
✔ Writing up worksheets – 40 hours
8 modules, 5 hours each
✔ Attendance at webinars – 12 hours
8 modules, 1.5 hours each session
✔ Community meetings – 3 hours
3 meetings, 1 hour each
✔ Peer case discussion groups – 13.5 hours
9 groups, 1.5 hours each
✔ Writing up case studies – 30 hours
3 cases, 10 hours each
✔ CDG tutorials – 4.5 hours
3 meetings, 1.5 hours each
✔ Research & writing essays – 50 hours
✔ Summer residential – 50 hours
5 days, 10 hours per day
Portfolio of Course Work
✔ 3 Case Study presentations (each will receive brief feedback from the CDG tutor).
✔ 8 worksheet assignments (one for each module) submitted two weeks prior to the webinar on that subject. The assignments will be approximately 2k words long and reflect your ability to critically reflect on the module materials and apply the information to your own lives and practice.
✔ 3000-word Essay. The best essays may also be published in a book, thus contributing to developing ideas in the field.
I was trained as a psychotherapist and sex therapist but felt I lacked specific competences to work efficiently with GSRD clients.
The diploma gave me exactly what I was looking for. It should definitely be part of every mental health professional’s background.Prof Antonio Prunas, Psychologist & Clinical Sexologist
Pink Therapy has played a major role in making me the practitioner I am today! The post graduate diploma in GSRD Therapy has provided me with the tools and knowledge for working within my community and with the topics I feel passionate about: BDSM, poly and non-monogamous relationships, trans and queer issues.
I did not expect it to be a gift that keeps on giving, but that is what it has turned out to be. Now I have my own practice that specialises in LGBTQ* issues and a network of colleagues happy to discuss chemsex, queer politics and gay shame – I could not be more content with what the training has brought about!Tanya Dolis, Psychologist
I first became aware of Pink Therapy when Dominic came to the University of Nottingham to do a talk as part of my degree studies. I was very fortunate that my course included some training on working with gender, sexuality and relationship diversity [GSRD] clients. This sparked my interest in attending further trainings provided by Pink Therapy, as I felt that it was important for me to expand my knowledge in this area.
I had a wonderful experience attending the international summer school in 2013, and really valued the experience brought by the trainers and my course peers from all around the world. I remember thinking, it was such a unique experience to share the learning in an environment where I felt I really belonged, and wasn’t in the minority for once!
When I had the chance in 2015 to attend the two year Post-Graduate Diploma in Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity, I jumped at the chance, as I knew the quality of trainers that are involved in all Pink Therapy training. I found the course to be fantastic, and it covered all aspects of issues that may arise when working with GSRD clients.
The overall support provided by the faculty was incredible, and I feel very honoured to have been in the first cohort of students, to complete the mostly online training. I wouldn’t hesitate doing it all over again, and the residential week was a truly empowering experience. I now approach my work with GSRD clients with a renewed competence, and am even mentoring/ supervising some of the current Pink Therapy students!Robert Patterson, Psychotherapist
GRADUATE & FACULTY TESTIMONIALS
As a therapist who has worked within GSRD communities for some time, a part of me wondered if I would gain enough from this, and whether it would be worth the time and cost commitment.
I found the residential week incredibly affirming of myself as a counsellor in these settings; I was challenged, and I learned things that I did not know about, and I came away for the first time with a strong sense of community. This sense of community has continued with frequent conversations with those in my residential and my learning has continued also.
For me the residential was an incredibly valuable experience and I would welcome the chance to return for another residential on this course!LJ Potter, Psychotherapist
I love teaching on this training because of the conversations I am privileged to have with practitioners coming from all over the world!
Despite our different geographical locations, we can come together to discuss how to best serve historically marginalized populations with expansive and diverse gender, sexual, relational and erotic orientations, identities and experiences.
As someone who has lived as an immigrant in two different countries and with a range of non-binary and liminal identities and experiences, I particularly appreciate this aspect of the training. Every webinar I teach is a delight and an opportunity to share what I know as well as to learn from insightful and passionate practitioners.Alex Iantaffi, PHD
The Pink Therapy training program is the most innovative of its kind in the world.
It takes the pathology and stigma out of how people ‘do’ sex, and teaches clinicians what’s missing from compassionate conversations about sex, pleasure and GSRD relationships.
I am thrilled to contribute my somatic clinical expertise as part of this program.Cyndi Darnell, Sex & Relationship Therapist
I embarked on the diploma because I wanted training where I could bring my whole self. It has made me a better therapist with all my clients, not only the GSRD ones.
The personal development combined with the academic learning has been a deep dive, compared to feeling that I was so often paddling in the shallows.Karen Pollock, Counsellor
Pink Therapy’s given me an eye-opening and systematic view in therapy related to diverse sexuality, gender, and relationship, which is internationally absent in the current psychological education curriculum.
Instructors in the program are all experienced practitioners with a profound theory base.
[Not to mention, my excellent cohort from various countries have broadened my understanding of psychology and counselling under different country contexts]Rebekah Cheng-Gong, Counsellor
I have got involved in Pink Therapy courses to share my experience but also to find a supportive field of international connections with people who – like me – are deeply interested in gender, sexuality, sex and relationships issues.
I have learnt that we see and understand these issues differently in different parts of the globe. Those differences arouse a myriad of thoughts and feelings in me. Pink Therapy is a beautiful container for all of that.Dr Daniel Bak, Psychotherapist
The Diploma Program provided a professional space to explore a broad range GSRD specific research with a strong focus on applied clinical application.
The focus on dedicated GSRD specific clinical work filled a gap in my training that has been invaluable. I found the generosity of lecturers and peer engagement in a collegial atmosphere when discussing complex clinical work together to be insightful and inspiring.
Collectively we drew from a highly diverse international base as well as our professional and lived experience. The course on boundaries has been particularly useful to return to periodically as a resource when working both from within and with diverse cultural and intersectional dynamics.Lisa O'Connor, Psychologist
PINK THERAPY FACULTY
Module Writers & Teaching Faculty
Dominic Davies, Course Director
Dominic Davies is Founder and CEO of Pink Therapy. He has worked as a psychotherapist, clinical sexologist and practice consultant for over 35 years. In 2007 he was made a Fellow of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy for his “outstanding contribution to the field.” In 2015 He received the Practitioner award from the Sexualities Section of the British Psychological Society. In 2016 He was made a Fellow of the National Counselling Society
Dominic (with Charles Neal) co-edited three of the first British textbooks on working with LGBT clients published in 1996 and 2000.
He has pioneered the development of Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity Therapy in the UK and Europe.
Dr Daniel Bak
Dr Daniel Bąk lives and works in Warsaw, Poland. He is a psychotherapist (since 2007), psychologist, group trainer, psychotherapy teacher and clinical consultant working in the relational Gestalt approach. He specialises in psychological help regarding gender, sexuality and sex.
He is the advanced accredited (Pink Therapy, UK) gender, sexuality & relationship diverisities therapist. He established (2009) and has been running the Programme of LGBT+ Psychological Support “Tęczówka” (http://psychoterapia.lgbt). He also co-chairs the Gender & Sexual Diversity Interest Group in the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy – an international community of Gestaltists from around the world. He serves as an editor of the LGBTQIA Psychology & Psychotherapy section in the e-Bulletin of the Warsaw Division of the Polish Psychological Association.
He is an associate in Pink Therapy, London, UK (Clinical Associate & Faculty Member) and Gestalt Counselling Centre, Kraków, Poland. He has authored conference lectures and scientific publications on gender, sexuality and sex. He runs his own private practice. More on Dr Daniel Bąk: www.gestalt.waw.pl and http://psychoterapia.lgbt
Olivier Cormier-Otaño MBACP Accred. is an Integrative counsellor and psychosexual therapist of French and Spanish origin. He has been working with Gender and Sexual Diversity clients in both charities and private practice.
He is a trainer on issues around GSD on behalf of Pink Therapy and psychosexual therapy for the Centre for Psychosexual health. Olivier is also a qualified Supervisor.
Tim Foskett is an accredited individual and group psychotherapist and supervisor with the Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners and UKCP. He has a private practice in north London working with groups, couples, individuals and supervisees.
He is a director of Loving Men and North London Group Therapy. Tim is a clinical associate with Pink Therapy. He is also a teacher of 5Rhythms® dance and is training to teach Open Floor movement practice.
He has written three interactive workbooks for gay/bi men, published by PACE, on self-esteem and getting ready for relationships, relationship skills and sex. These are available to download from www.lovingmen.org.
Dr Alex Iantaffi
Dr Alex Iantaffi, PhD, MS, CST, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist, supervisor, sex therapist, Somatic ExperiencingⓇ practitioner, writer, speaker and independent scholar. They were the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy for eleven years and have researched, presented and published extensively on gender, disability, sexuality, bisexuality, polyamory, BDSM, Deafness, education, sexual health, HIV prevention, and transgender issues. Alex is passionate about healing justice and community based and engaged scholarship.
They are a trans masculine, non-binary, bi queer, disabled, Italian immigrant who has been living on Dakota and Anishinaabe territories, currently known as Minneapolis, MN (US) since 2008. They are a parent, partner, and engaged community member and organizer. They have co-founded Edges Wellness Center LLC, a mental health practice focused on serving marginalized populations. Alex is a member of a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapist, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Alex has recently co-authored the book “How to Understand Your Gender: a practical guide for exploring who you are” with Meg-John Barker (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). You can find out more about them at www.alexiantaffi.com or follow them on Twitter @xtaffi
Dr Agata Loewe
Dr Agata Loewe, PhD, is a clinical cross-cultural psychologist, systemic family psychotherapist and sexosopher of sexology. She is a founder of Sex Positive Institute in Poland, sex positive activist, advocate and educator. Since 2009 she has consulted with NGOs dealing with equal opportunities for people at risk of social exclusion and the promotion of mental, sexual and reproductive health. Her speciality is consciousness-raising and she has expertise in gender, sexual and relationship diversities. Agata has a private practice in Warsaw and online.
Agata is a member of WAS & WASC. She conducts and organises international workshops, trainings & specialist courses in sexuality for people working with human sexuality.
Dr Gökçe Elif Sarıdoğan
Dr Gökçe Elif Sarıdoğan is an adult psychiatrist based in Istanbul,Turkey. As a specialist she is working as chief consultant in community mental health center and working with GSD issues in the sexuality department of the psychotherapy centre of Erenkoy Mental Health and Research Hospital in Istanbul.
In addition she is currently a PhD student in psychopharmacology at Marmara University. Her academic interests and work experience include post-traumatic stress disorder, adult autism spectrum, sexuality, animal models in behavioural sciences and ADHD.
Kris Black (pronouns they, them theirs), is an integrative arts psychotherapist, a qualified supervisor and a freelance Trainer. Kris currently works in private practice and within the LGBTQ+ community. Kris has worked for over 30 years within the BEM and LGBTQ+ communities as well as within the education, and charity sectors as an activist, educator and a therapist.
Kris has extensive experience of working with children and young people from different minority communities. Kris has been active politically for many years and much of their work focusses on raising awareness about discrimination, stigma and inequality and the effects of discrimination on minority groups.
More recently, Kris has qualified as a Black Issues Trainer, is a member of the Coalition Against Conversion Therapy, the Black and Asian Therapy Network, a Pink Therapy Clinical Associate and part of the Gendered Intelligence Therapists Network. They are also working with an intergenerational project addressing the historical invisibility and marginality of LGBTQIA+ people of colour within the UK and the diaspora. (see profile here).
Dominic Davies is a Fellow of the National Counselling Society and an accredited psychotherapist with the National Council for Psychotherapy. He is also a member of the Consortium for Academic Research in Alternative Sexualities (CARAS) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the World Association for Sexual Health.
He has over thirty five years clinical experience of working with a wide variety of gender, sexuality and relationship diversity clients. He pioneered HIV care and service provision in the late 1980s; his current clinical interests lie in Diversities in Sexual Expression and Lifestyle, Gender Therapy and Chemsex initiatives with gay men.
Dr Bartoz Grabski
Dr Bartosz Grabski MD PhD is an assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry of Jagiellonian University Medical College In Krakow, Poland. Author and co-author of numerous scientific publications; he co-edited the first Polish comprehensive textbook on LGB psychology: Wprowadzenie do Psychologii LGB (Introduction to the LGB Psychology) and wrote a chapter there on mental health of homosexual and bisexual people.
His clinical interests include: mood and sexual disorders, psychoeducation and psychotherapy and delivering an affirmative clinical care to gender and sexual diversities.
Arlene Istar Lev
Arlene (Ari) Istar Lev LCSW-R, CASAC, CST is a family therapist, educator, sex therapist, and writer. She is lecturer at the University at Albany (New York, USA), School of Social Welfare and is the Project Director of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Project (SOGI).
Ms. Lev is the Founder and Clinical Director of Choices Counseling and Consulting (www.choicesconsulting.com) and TIGRIS: The Training Institute for Gender, Relationships, Identity, and Sexuality (www.tigrisinstitute.com) in Albany, New York. She is also the Board President of Rainbow Access Initiative, Inc, a non-profit agency serving LGBTQ people with limited access to resources.
She has authored two books: The Complete Lesbian and Gay Parenting Guide and Transgender Emergence, winner of the APA (Division 44) Distinguished Book Award, 2006.
Amanda Middleton is a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist, with a special interest in queering psychotherapy. A Clinical Associate of Pink Therapy and The Pink Practice, she works therapeutically with families, couples and individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Transgender and beyond.
Amanda has a commitment to and expertise in working with gender, sexuality, marginalisation and difference. Initially qualifying as a Psychologist in Australia, Amanda has 18 years of experience in the sexuality, dual diagnosis, HIV and sexual health, drug and alcohol use, and domestic violence sectors. Currently Amanda works as a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist in private practice, leads on the training and therapists directory at Gendered Intelligence and teaches across various settings, including The Institute of Family Therapy, Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust and Pink Therapy.
Darren Langdridge, Course Consultant
Darren Langdridge is Professor of Psychology and Sexuality at the Open University, UK, Honorary Professor of Psychology at Aalborg University, Denmark, and a UKCP-accredited existential psychotherapist working in private practice in London.
For many years Darren has researched and written on sexualities, critical theory, health and psychotherapy, publishing numerous papers and book chapters. He is the author/co-editor of a number of books including Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy(published by Sage), Phenomenological Psychology: Theory, Research and Method (published by Pearson), Safe, Sane and Consensual: Contemporary Perspectives on Sadomasochism(published by Palgrave Macmillan) and Understanding Non-monogamies (published by Routledge).
Darren also co-founded Psychology & Sexuality, a journal published by Taylor & Francis designed to advance the boundaries of work in the psychology of sexualities. He is currently writing his next book for Oxford University Press on sexual citizenship. | {
"date": "2019-03-21T18:08:27Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202530.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20190321172751-20190321194751-00198.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9375270009040833,
"token_count": 5684,
"url": "https://pinktherapy.org/foundation/"
} |
It is known that transgender individuals and more specifically, transmen and gender non-binary, face significant psychosocial issues for a multitude of reasons. Feeling like you were born in the wrong body and are now trapped there along with challenging societal forces leads to anxiety and depression. The dislike, disgust and even rejection of one’s body’s sexual features is the basis of gender dysphoria.
This may be old news to you if you are a transman or are non-binary trying to live and function normally in society.
But, how prevalent is this anxiety and depression?
Is your anxiety and depression very common or unusual?
A well designed prospective study was conducted by the Section of Plastic Surgery at the University of Michigan and the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Southern California to determine the prevalence of these issues. This involved 103 individuals who were seeking gender affirming top surgery. They completed a variety of standardized and validated preoperative mental health screening tests. In addition, these patients were also compared to published normal values for cisgender men.
The findings revealed that for transmen and gender non-binary individuals, the actual pre-operative anxiety and depression incidence was 66.3% and 70.3% respectively. This was inclusive of mild to severe cases. However, for this same cohort group, only 29.8% had been previously diagnosed with anxiety and 25% with depression. In addition, when the study results were compared to the cisgender controls, these rates of anxiety and depression were far higher and statistically significant.
What are the key takeaway points here?
First of all, the transmen and gender non-binary population face a far greater prevalence of anxiety and depression than the general population as a whole. Intuitively, this should not be surprising at all. If you are a transman or are non-binary, you likely already know this.
The second point is even more important and relates to the overall mental health of the transgender population and implications. There is a far higher prevalence of anxiety and depression than is being recognized and diagnosed. This may be due to these individuals not seeking out therapy or because mental health professionals have failed to make the diagnosis though there are probably other reasons as well.
Regardless, what is evident is that far more transmen and non-binary individuals are in need of mental health care than are obtaining it. Such care can go a long way in helping them address their issues head on allowing them to be happier, more functional and productive with greater self-esteem.
So, if you are a transman or gender non-binary and feel that you have issues of anxiety, depression, poor body image or other mental health issues, it would be both very wise and beneficial for you to seek an evaluation and care by a qualified mental health professional specializing in transgender issues.
Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona | {
"date": "2023-06-01T03:26:23Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647525.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601010402-20230601040402-00375.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9619666934013367,
"token_count": 600,
"url": "https://www.turkeltaub.com/transgender-breast-surgery/anxiety-and-depression-levels-higher-than-expected-in-transmen-and-non-binary-individuals-pursuing-top-surgery/"
} |
Welcome to #GlobalPrideLitMonth at Global Literature in Libraries Initiative
PRIDE month commemorates the Stonewall Riots that took place in June 1969 in New York City. They were a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBT2QIA+ rights in the USA (definitions provided below). PRIDE is now celebrated around the world. This month we will be celebrating the global literature of LGBT2QIA+ communities by focusing on books written by LGBT2QIA+ authors and/or featuring characters that identify with these communities.
Much has been written about libraries and LGBT2QIA+ communities. Building on the role libraries play in distributing books with LGBT2QIA+ content, the books reviewed this month convey the experiences of LGBTQ2IA+ characters from across the world and communicate the richness of these sexual identities, expressions and communities, plus the myriad intersectionalities that reflect the lived experiences of people living and writing from around the world.
In the USA, the Three Percent resource from Rochester University reveals that only about 3% of all books published in the United States are works in translation. How many of those translated works feature LGBTQ2IA+ characters, or are written by an author that openly identities as as a member of the LGBTQ2IA+ community?
As American educator Rudine Sims Bishop wrote in her essay, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors,” books offer different readers different experiences. Does that novel act as a mirror, reflecting a certain lived experience back to the reader? Is it a window, showing a world the reader has never before encountered? Is it a sliding glass door, an opening, an invitation, a portal into a new world?
Written in 1990 about American children’s literature, Bishop found that powerful social groups find themselves mirrored in books, while facing a lack of stories of people different from them. Minority groups find themselves reading other people’s stories, while not seeing their own experiences represented. In the end, both groups suffer. When people do not see themselves represented in literature, they learn that they are not valued by their society. When people only see people like themselves represented, they learn to overly value their own place in society and to cultivate a narrower understanding of human experiences.
This month’s books at the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative can be windows and mirrors for library patrons. Many books featured this month are #ownvoices titles. Initially created by Corinne Duyvis in 2015 to highlight #kidlit about diverse characters written by authors from that same group, the hashtag #ownvoices has taken off to capture the concept of books that have authors that share marginalized identities with the protagonists.
This June, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Pride 2020 by reading the beautiful diversity of global literature written from LGBTQ2IA+ perspectives.
LGBTQ2IA+ Terms and Meanings
What does LGBTQ2IA+ stand for?
LGBTQ2IA+ is an inclusive initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, two-spirit, intersex, asexual, allies and more. I learned about using this initialism while volunteering at Vancouver’s Out on the Shelves Library.
Here’s a guide to terms you’ll come across in this month’s book reviews, book lists and blog posts.
Lesbian: a female- identified person who is attracted romantically, physically, or emotionally to another female-identified person. This word in English has literary roots, as it comes from Greek island of Lesbos, where the 6th-century BCE poet Sappho lived and wrote poetry about her love of women.
Gay: a male-identified person who is attracted romantically, physically, or emotionally to another male-identified person.
Bisexual: People who are attracted to both men and women romantically, physically, or emotionally. It may also describe people that have a romantic or sexual attraction to people of any sex or gender identity, which is also known as pansexuality.
Transgender: People whose biological sex (or their assigned sex at birth) is different than the gender with which they identify. The opposite of transgender is cisgender, which describes persons whose gender identity or expression matches their assigned sex. Being transgender is independent of sexual orientation.
Queer or Questioning: An all-inclusive term referencing lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans people, and intersex people. Previously a derogatory term, this term is being reclaimed by members of the LGBTQ2IA+ community. Questioning refers to individuals that are currently questioning their gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation or all three.
2Spirit/Two-Spirit: a modern, English umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe people who fulfill a traditional third-gender (or other gender-variant) ceremonial role. It was intended to carry on the traditional meanings of the terms in many Indigenous languages for culturally-specific ceremonial roles. It is not a synonym for a LGBTQ2IA+ Indigenous person.
Intersex: A person whose physical sex characteristics are not categorized as exclusively male or exclusively female.
Asexual: A person who is not attracted to anyone or does not have sexual orientation.
Ally: A person who does not identify as LGBTQ2IA+ but supports the rights and safety of those who do.
+: An inclusive symbol at the end to include people that may not feel included in the previous letters, such as people that identify as pansexual, non-binary or genderfluid.
- Gender explained through a Genderbread Person
- Why the Diversity of Your Reading List Matters
- Rudine Sims Bishop’s essay: Mirrors, Windos and Sliding Glass Doors
- Blue Crow Publishing’s What does #OwnVoices mean?
- ‘The Library Saved My Life’: LGBTQ Books 2017 (Publisher’s Weekly)
Guest Editor of #GlobalPRIDELitMonth and Writer: Anita Fata (she, her, hers) is currently pursuing a Master in Libraries and Information Studies at University of British Columbia’s iSchool. A daughter of European immigrants, she is a first generation Canadian settler, living and working on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations in what is now called Vancouver, BC, Canada. Fascinated by the pitfalls of cataloguing, she also spends too much time thinking about translated literature and LGBT2QIA+ authors while volunteering at Out on the Shelves Library. Find her on Twitter @anita_if.
2 thoughts on “Welcome to #GlobalPRIDELitMonth” | {
"date": "2023-06-08T07:41:14Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654606.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608071820-20230608101820-00780.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.946999192237854,
"token_count": 1389,
"url": "https://glli-us.org/2020/06/01/pride-month/"
} |
We are very pleased to share that Code Nation is one of the charitable organizations that MacroMinds will be representing at our 2021 event! Code Nation equips students from under-resourced high schools with the skills, experiences, and connections that together create access to careers in technology. With a volunteer teaching corps that includes hundreds of professional software developers, Code Nation mobilizes the tech community to provide tuition-free coding courses and work-based learning programs to students who might not otherwise have access to the industry.
In March 2020, Code Nation pivoted to remote learning with the rest of the country. Although the methods of program delivery and student engagement are different, we continue to serve our students by providing access to computer science courses, workplace experiences, and role models that launch careers in tech!
In order for our students of color, young women, and non-binary students to thrive in the tech industry, it is important that they feel seen, heard, and represented. In collaboration with industry partners Flexport, Stitch Fix, Salesforce, and Techqueria, Code Nation hosted virtual affinity group events to foster community and an increased sense of belonging for students whose identities are not well-represented in the tech industry.
Until it is safe to return to in-person programming, we are excited to navigate the distance-learning environment and welcome our next cohort of over 1,200 young technologists into online classrooms for the 20-21 school year. | {
"date": "2023-06-01T06:42:20Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647614.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601042457-20230601072457-00584.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9482717514038086,
"token_count": 396,
"url": "https://macrominds.org/beneficiaries/code-nation/"
} |
- This event has passed.
The annual symposium organised by Scottish PEN’s Women Writers Committee and IASH in honour of International Women’s Day will this year explore the issue of Privilege.
Privilege is the ease and safety with which you walk through the world. It is the expectation that when you speak, you will be listened to and believed. It is the enacting of the understanding that you are a person of value. Privilege shapes how we see ourselves in the world, but also how others see us, oftentimes shaped by systems we had no part in constructing, whether that is colonial, capitalist, racist and patriarchal structures. So while not being directly responsible for them, per se, it is still vital to recognise where they occur, and to act accordingly. The worst thing we can do with our privilege is stay ignorant of it and believe that because something doesn’t affect us, we don’t need to speak up about it.
Privilege can cut across identities, backgrounds and beliefs and the diverse panel of speakers, including Sawsan Al-Areeqe, Callie Gardner, Kerry Hudson and Donna Williams, will draw from their own experiences and work to explore this issue and how we can be aware of our position in the world to ensure everyone can express themselves. This challenging issue will bring together a rich debate on our interactions with the world and people around us, how power affects how we can speak and be heard, how to be an ally to others and be aware of the forces that can encourage silence.
This annual Scottish PEN/IASH Symposium hosted in honour of International Women’s Day has become known for open, diverse, challenging and welcoming conversations on subjects that are important to women and non-binary individuals.
Sawsan Al-Areeqe – Sawsan Al-Areeqe is currently a fellow at the University of Glasgow via Artist Protection Fund. Sawsan is the author of four poetry collections. The Square of Pain (Sana’a 2004). More Than Necessary, which received the Literature Award from Lebanon (2007). What if My Blood Sweetened into Chocolate won the Creative Award in Sana’a (2011). Her fourth collection, Expired Death, written during her APF Fellowship in Glasgow, is being published this spring.
Sawsan’s films have also won awards including the British Council’s 2010 Zoom Film Contest, the Special Jury Prize at the 2012 Meknes International Film Festival, The Best Idea at the 2014 Teba Short Films Festival in Egypt and The Main Theme in Italy in 2018 for her short film, Prohibited. She was also awarded a Merit for her short film, Photo, which has been shown at several festivals around the world, including the World of Film International Film Festival in Glasgow and “Discover Film” in London. Daughter of the Sea was presented at the 2011 Liverpool Arabic Film Festival and as part of the Yemen strand in Deutsche Welle Global Media Form.
Callie Gardner – Callie Gardner is a poet and editor based in Glasgow. Their book-length poem naturally it is not. is published by The 87 Press and they edit Zarf Poetry magazine and its associated pamphlet press Zarf Editions.
Kerry Hudson – Kerry Hudson was born in Aberdeen. Her first novel, Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma, won the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust First Book Award and was shortlisted for an array of prizes including the Guardian First Book Award and the Sky Arts Awards. Thirst, her second novel, won the prestigious Prix Femina Etranger.
Her most recent non-fiction book, Lowborn takes her back to the towns of her childhood as she investigates her own past and what it means to be poor in Britain today.
Donna Williams – Donna Williams is a deaf poet working in English and British Sign Language. Working with such different languages has inspired a deep interest in translation and how her work can be made accessible to signing and non-signing audiences. She has performed at festivals around the UK including the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as in America and Brazil. Several of her poems have been published, most recently in Stairs and Whispers, an anthology of poems by deaf and disabled poets, and issue 69 of Magma magazine. Her poems cover many themes, from bilingualism to identity, to her beloved cats.
Edinburgh, EH8 8DT | {
"date": "2019-03-22T18:59:02Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202688.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20190322180106-20190322202106-00505.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9631085395812988,
"token_count": 918,
"url": "https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/event/privilege-lets-check-ours-at-the-door/"
} |
By Brandy Black
This just came into my inbox and it’s another reason that I love living in the state of California!
|Sacramento–The California Legislature last night approved a bill that would make it easier change gender markers on state-issued identification documents as well as create a gender-neutral, non-binary category in addition to “male” and “female.” Senate Bill (SB) 179, authored by Sens. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by Equality California and the Transgender Law Center, would make California the second state in the country, after Oregon, to legally recognize a nonbinary gender.
“Many of us have an ID that matches our gender presentation, and so showing it is hassle-free,” said Sen. Atkins. “But for Californians who have an ID that does not match their gender presentation, showing it at airports, in shops or to law enforcement can be extremely stressful and lead to harassment or a delay in completing a transaction. It doesn’t need to be this way. SB 179 will make things a lot easier for our transgender, nonbinary and intersex friends and neighbors.”
“California is once again leading the way toward full equality for our LGBT community and a more inclusive society,” said Sen. Wiener. We need to make it easier for transgender and gender non-conforming people to live their lives as who they are, not who society says they’re supposed to be. In particular, our LGBT youth need to know that we support them and want them to succeed as their authentic selves.”
SB 179 would make it easier for transgender, intersex and non-binary people to get official identification documents that accurately reflect their gender identity. In addition to recognizing a nonbinary gender, this bill will streamline the process to change the gender marker or name on state-issued identification documents. Previously, individuals faced difficult and burdensome obstacles to change their identification documents, such as requirements that a person obtain a physician’s verification or that they appear in court, which ultimately made the process intimidating and added expenses that an individual might not have.
“The simple act of showing a driver’s license is something most of us take for granted, but it can be a dangerous act for people whose gender expression doesn’t necessarily match what’s on their ID,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “SB 179 will make the process of getting government-issued identifications easier and safer for thousands of Californians.”
According to a 2015 national survey of 25,000 transgender people, only 11 percent reported that all their identification documents had their name and gender that is consistent with their gender identity, and one-third of respondents who showed an ID with a gender marker that did not match their appearance reported being verbally harassed, denied services or assaulted.
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org | {
"date": "2018-03-20T19:18:34Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2018-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647530.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20180320185657-20180320205657-00187.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9542955756187439,
"token_count": 703,
"url": "http://thenextfamily.com/2017/09/california-legislature-passes-bill-creating-non-binary-gender-for-state-identification-documents/"
} |
Our decision to publish the present article does not imply our endorsement of the church referenced therein or its episcopate. Orthodoxy in Dialogue reiterates its commitment to the canonical Orthodox Church as currently represented in the diptychs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The author and her conference co-presenter are known to our readers through On Being Orthodox & Genderqueer: An Interview with “Lindsey”.
I first learned about the Queer & Transgender Studies in Religion Conference at UC Riverside thanks to Orthodoxy in Dialogue. I’m so glad I attended. I co-presented some preliminary research with Lindsey about Mother Maeve Leroux, a transgendered nun, bishop, and founder of the Universalist Orthodox Church.
As a cisgendered, heterosexual woman myself, I came to this conference primarily to learn about the theories and literature that other folks were using in the burgeoning fields of Queer Theory and Transgender Studies. I was surprised to meet people from a wide range of fields, including biblical studies, theology, anthropology, sociology, Jewish studies, Buddhist studies, Catholic studies, Islamic studies, and art history, to name a few. Also in attendance were clergy from a variety of faith traditions. I met people all along the spectrum of gender expression.
In general, this conference was a deeply joyful experience (not something I would say of all academic conferences).
I learned that Queer & Transgender Studies in Religion is its own up-and-coming academic subfield. For those of you outside of academia, you may wonder why subfields are necessary, or why someone would invent a new field of study. I’d like to offer a few observations I made at this conference and why I think both religious studies and queer & transgender studies are complementary to one another.
As I learned from both observing and listening to fellow conference attendees, gender is nearly infinite in expression, not unlike God. Perhaps being made in God’s image is more about this infinite spectrum that we create together, as a mosaic of humanity, than it is about how individuals alone reflect a divine creator.
Gender is not always something that is immediately visible, also like God. I’d like to specify here that sex is the physical body with which one is born, and gender is what one does with that: performance, in the sense of anthropologist Emile Durkheim, linguist Irving Goffman, and others.* Gender can be the source of enormous creativity, and often—for individuals who do not fit into the binary cultural models with which they are presented—it is a highly personal, creative act.
When I say that gender is something which is not always visible, I mean that when we behold one another in life, there is so much we cannot see about what lies within. Looking at someone else, we may not be able to discern whether someone is gay or straight, feels at home in their bodies, or how one perceives their identity. Gender can be ephemeral in this way, though no less real—just like God. Gender may defy our linguistic capabilities, just like God. We would never shake a fist at an icon and condemn God for failing to conform to our limited models of reality; yet, this is so often the experience for our queer and non-binary kindred.
Lindsey is a doctoral student in theology. They and I presented our research in the very last panel, in the very last time slot of the conference. We were tired (in that happy way one feels at the end of summer camp), but so grateful that people stuck around for our talk.
As a social scientist, I offered an analysis of Mother Maeve’s visual messages about gender through her vestments. Lindsey’s half of the presentation was about Mother Maeve’s theology. (Her church is outside of the mainstream, but this is a separate topic).
Lindsey prefaced their portion of the presentation with an anecdote about being outed to their family about their non-binary gender identity and threatened with excommunication by their Orthodox parish priest. They asked me to read their portion of the presentation, as this was still a very emotional time for them.
After the presentation, there was such an incredible outpouring of love toward Lindsey from those in attendance. Many had their own stories of being excommunicated or otherwise rejected from their families or faith communities. Rather than being driven toward atheism, however, so many of these individuals continued to find meaning, self-expression, and strength in their religious traditions.
Mother Maeve, our research collaborator, continues to find this strength, but has been forced to go outside the mainstream Orthodox Church to simply be allowed to exist as a valid category of person, let alone to be a woman and a bishop, among other theologoumena.
Would that the canonical Orthodox Church truly embodied tradition as a living, breathing thing, which celebrates all the marvels of God’s creation.
*Editor’s note: See also Judith Butler’s extensive body of writings on the performativity of gender.
See the extensive Sexuality and Gender section in our Archives by Author.
Lydia Bringerud is a PhD student in folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s. She holds an MA in folklore from Indiana University in Bloomington. Her research focuses primarily on American converts to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, as well as attitudes toward authority, obedience, cultural conflict, and the position of women.
One thought on “REFLECTIONS ON ATTENDING THE QUEER & TRANSGENDER STUDIES IN RELIGION CONFERENCE by Lydia Bringerud”
Pingback: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: FEBRUARY | ORTHODOXY IN DIALOGUE
Comments are closed. | {
"date": "2023-05-30T13:48:47Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645810.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530131531-20230530161531-00208.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9626750349998474,
"token_count": 1192,
"url": "https://orthodoxyindialogue.com/2019/02/27/reflections-on-attending-the-queer-transgender-studies-in-religion-conference-by-lydia-bringerud/"
} |
Women’s History Month — which celebrates the contributions and achievements of women throughout history– is an international event which is observed not only in the United States, but in Australia and the United Kingdom in the month of March, and in Canada in the month of October.
The history of America’s celebration is rooted in protest, when in 1857, a coalition of female factory workers in New York City took to the streets to bring attention to dangerous working conditions. It was followed by the first National Women’s Day on February 28, 1909, which was declared by the Socialist Party of America in response to the 1908 garment workers strike.
According to the National Women’s History Alliance, Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
As a result of the successful lobbying efforts of numerous women’s groups and other concerned stakeholders to make the week an official nationwide event, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation designating the week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week.
In 1981, Congress took it a step further to officially designate the second week in March as National Women’s History Week, and in 1987, expanded the commemoration to encompass the entire month with the passage of Public Law 100-9.
Additional resolutions were eventually passed, and each sitting president has since issued annual proclamations for what is now known as Women’s History Month.
The 2020 Women’s History Month theme — which selected annually by the National Women’s History Alliance — is “Valiant Women of the Vote.” The theme honors “the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others.”
Philadelphia is full of annual activities and events throughout the month which explore not only the official theme and women’s history throughout the nation and world, but the significant contributions of local women and their allies to the City’s history as well.
Read on for the Visit Philly guide’s partial listing on how to celebrate Women’s History Month in Philadelphia through moving art exhibits, engaging lectures and more. For more information, visit: www.visitphilly.com.
Note: Events in this list are arranged in chronological order.
All year long
Presented by Drexel University’s Vision2020, Women 100 is the largest centennial celebration in the U.S. honoring the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The series presents programs and events throughout the year that celebrate American women and spark new ideas about the path to gender equality. In March, visitors can learn more about the #BiasCorrect campaign on International Women’s Day (March 6, 2020), watch a pop-up performance about equality advocate Lucretia Mott (March 8, 2020), and attend a talk about how images depicting liberty related to abolition and suffrage have changed over time (March 11, 2020).
Where: Various locations including the Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia Orchestra WomenNOW Concert Series
September 18, 2019 – May 31, 2020
Women who are composers, conductors, instrumentalists and vocalists star throughout The Philadelphia Orchestra’s season. In March, don’t miss conductor Marin Alsop as she leads performances of pieces from the classic Porgy and Bess (March 5-7, 2020).
Where: Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St.
My General Tubman at the Arden Theatre Company
January 28 – March 8, 2020
Making its world premiere at the Arden Theatre Company during Philly Theatre Week, My General Tubman depicts abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s life and reflects on her legacy. Plot twist: Tubman is portrayed as a time-traveler, who jumps to a present-day prison in Philly and tries to bring inmates back with her to help fight slavery.
Where: Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd St.
Votes for Women: A Visual History at the Brandywine River Museum of Art
February 1 – June 7, 2020
The Brandywine River Museum of Art displays and explains century-old political cartoons, plays, posters, parades and fashion that formed the visual culture of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. Drawings, illustrations, photographs of marches and rallies, clothing and accessories — especially sashes — re-create and contextualize this time of tangible art and physical action, long before social media or television. Activating the exhibition are curator talks and live performances.
Where: Brandywine River Museum of Art, 1 Hoffmans Mill Road, Chadds Ford
Replica of the Justice Bell at the Brandywine River Museum of Art
February 29 – March 8, 2020
For one week, the Brandywine River Museum of Art displays a replica Justice Bell to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Some background: The Justice Bell — created in the likeness of the Liberty Bell by a Chester County woman — toured Pennsylvania in 1915 ahead of the state referendum on women’s suffrage to connect the cause to the struggle of the Founding Fathers. The referendum failed, but as a result, the Justice Bell became a national symbol for women continuing the fight for voting rights. (Bonus: The 2,000-pound original Justice Bell is on display at Valley Forge National Historical Park.)
Where: Brandywine River Museum of Art, 1 Hoffmans Mill Road, Chadds Ford
Women’s History Month at The Betsy Ross House
March 1-28, 2020 (select dates)
Living-history performers portraying female activists and history makers interact with guests at The Betsy Ross House throughout Women’s History Month. Special tours on Sunday, March 1, 2020, introduce visitors to some self-made 18th-century women like chocolate maker Mary Crathorne and Phillis the washerwoman. On Suffragette Saturdays (every Saturday in March), heroic suffragette and native Philadelphian Dora Lewis tells visitors stories about arrests, hunger strikes and other struggles she faced during the suffrage movement.
Where: The Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch St.
Women’s History Month at the National Constitution Center
March 1-31, 2020
The National Constitution Center celebrates the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment with a slate of programs during Women’s History Month that highlight the work of historical and contemporary women like Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Visitors can also learn more about the women’s suffrage movement during a workshop analyzing an educational music video inspired by Lady Gaga.
Where: National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.
Women’s History Month at the Free Library of Philadelphia
March 1-31, 2020
The Free Library of Philadelphia hosts a number of awesome events with successful women authors during March. The impressive lineup includes Maira Kalman (The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas Illustrated); Rebecca Solnit (Recollections of My Nonexistence) in conversation with Jia Tolentino (Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion); Hilary Mantel (The Mirror and the Light); Katie Roiphe (The Power Notebooks); Emily St. John Mandel (The Glass Hotel); and Bernardine Evaristo (Girl, Woman, Other).
Where: Various locations including the the Parkway Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street
Seat at the Table at the Kimmel Center
March 1 – September 30, 2020
A free, seven-day-a-week, interactive art exhibition by Dome Collective invites the public to experience women’s representation in places of power — seats at tables — through 3D infographic furniture, while a wall of interactive screens introduces gender barrier-breakers throughout women’s history. This event is one of the many programs part of Women 100, presented by Drexel University’s Vision2020.
Where: The Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St.
Women’s History Month at The Library Company of Philadelphia
March 5-12 (select dates)
For Women’s History Month, The Library Company of Philadelphia hosts a lecture on a National Archives Museum’s exhibition, Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote, with one of the curators (March 5, 2020); a collection review focusing on the seventh-century-B.C. Greek lyric poet Sappho and how a resurgence of interest in her influenced 20th-century feminism (March 10, 2020); and a three-part seminar about how Philadelphia women used material culture and domestic spaces to spark excitement for the revolution (March 11, 25 & April 22, 2020).
Where: The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.
Black Pearl Orchestra at the Barnes Foundation
Friday, March 6, 2020 | 6 p.m.
The Black Pearl Orchestra recognizes the accomplishments of African American women in classical music at this concert at the Barnes Foundation. The program features music by African American women composers like Florence Price, the first African American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and have her work played by a major orchestra.
Where: Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
International Womxn’s Day 2020 at Asian Arts Initiative
Saturday, March 7, 2020 | 4-10 p.m.
Attendees celebrate the spirit of an inclusive international women’s movement and create a safe, caring space for women, trans and non-binary people at this event at the Asian Arts Initiative. The evening features interactive stations, performances and a queer dance social. Tickets are $15 to $20 but no one will be turned away if they don’t have the means to pay for a ticket.
Where: Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine St.
Women’s Art Festival HERSpace 2020 at Philly Art Collective
Saturday, March 7, 2020 | 6-9 p.m.
Philly Art Collective Gallery hosts this monthly event showcasing women artists, giving them the opportunity to market their work and connect with others. Just as with previous events, the first 200 tickets to the March edition of HERspace are free. Tickets are donation-based after that.
Where: Philly Art Collective, 253 N. 3rd St. | {
"date": "2020-04-08T11:13:05Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371813538.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20200408104113-20200408134613-00369.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9258208870887756,
"token_count": 2238,
"url": "https://www.philasun.com/local/celebrating-womens-history-month-in-philadelphia-2020/"
} |
The Greens roll out some big policy ideas — and expect other parties to steal them
Leadership candidates are pushing for wealth caps and a carbon tariff, among other ideas
Among its members, it's a running joke: The Green Party of Canada comes up with the big ideas and the other parties rip them off.
Many of those policies — same-sex marriage, cannabis legalization, a carbon tax and a guaranteed basic income — have now come to define the national conversation and, in some cases, Canada's place in the world.
Kevin Bosch, who worked for almost 20 years with several Liberal leaders, said that although the Greens seldom get credit for it, they're often the trailblazers in Canadian public policy.
"The other political parties look to what they are doing as [the Greens] put forth these trial balloons," said Bosch, who is now the vice-president of public affairs at Hill+Knowlton Strategies. "I think they are the vanguard in some areas."
The eight-month Green Party leadership race has given its contestants a chance to thrash out new policy positions that could set the national agenda for years to come.
Listen | CBC Radio's The House talks party vision and priorities with the candidates:
Former Green election campaign director Sonia Théroux said the race is producing a flurry of new ideas.
"Similar to the role the federal Green Party plays on the national landscape, a leadership race plays that same role for a party," said Théroux, now the co-executive director for the non-partisan Leadnow advocacy organization.
As online voting opens today, almost 35,000 registered members are getting a chance to decide which candidate will help shape that policy. Here are some of the ideas that could gain momentum and some perspectives on whether they might go mainstream.
A wealth cap
Several candidates have argued the wealthiest Canadians need to pay more. Candidates Dimitri Lascaris and Amita Kuttner have gone so far as to propose a cap on the amount of money a person can earn in Canada. Kuttner, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronoun "they," said they would tax income in excess of $100 million at a rate of 100 per cent.
Bosch calls the idea extreme.
"It may have populist appeal," he said. "It probably would be seen as too radical for most voters."
Théroux said she also isn't sure that a hard cap has much runway but added there's "fertile ground" for such a policy pitch in the electorate — especially among young voters who want to see extreme income inequality addressed.
Both Bosch and Théroux see a future for a wealth tax, a measure Justin Trudeau's Liberals promised to adopt in the recent throne speech. It's a policy the Greens adopted for the 2019 election campaign as well.
Guaranteed livable income
All of the candidates have renewed their support for a guaranteed income, long a signature policy of the Greens. Théroux said she believes the idea has momentum now, in part due to the efforts of Greens.
"I'd say we are on the brink of a centrist federal government actually considering concepts similar to a basic income," she said. "I am now seeing members of [the Liberal Party] starting to speak to it. And I think that is a massive paradigm shift."
The Liberals are already transitioning millions of Canadians from their signature pandemic aid program, the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB), to new benefit programs. Some have compared these benefits to a guaranteed livable income.
But there are doubts about whether governments can afford these programs without racking up unsustainable levels of debt, Bosch said.
"A basic income has to make economic sense," Bosch said.
So far, only one leadership candidate — former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister Glen Murray — has costed out how a guaranteed income program could be delivered by the federal government without increasing Ottawa's ballooning deficit even further.
Ending fossil fuel use
In the spring, outgoing Green Party leader Elizabeth May grabbed headlines by declaring that "oil is dead."
"My heart bleeds for people who believe the sector is going to come back. It's not," May told reporters. "Oil is dead."
Several Green leadership candidates have seized on the idea and have vowed to phase out fossil fuels by 2040. Théroux said that, if anything, the idea is fostering important conversations among voters about the need for Canada to take radical steps to meet its climate commitments.
"The awareness of how quickly we have to move in order to prevent catastrophic levels of climate change is rapidly approaching," she said.
Saying the era of big oil has come to an end is one thing, Bosch said, while finding affordable energy alternatives is something else. The Greens, he said, haven't explained how the party would transition Canada away from fossil fuels.
"Just saying that we are going to wipe out fossil fuel over night is not realistic," he said. "And you have to fill the energy mix with something else."
He said he can't see how the Greens could adopt a policy of eradicating fossil fuel use without also considering nuclear power — which the party has traditionally opposed.
Border carbon tax
Leadership candidate Annamie Paul is urging her party to consider a new measure: slapping a tariff on imports from countries with lax environmental policies.
The tactic is being considered by the European Union, the world's second-largest economic bloc. The idea is to ensure domestic businesses stay competitive by penalizing countries that maintain a competitive advantage by not doing their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Paul said. The policy is also intended to discourage businesses from relocating to jurisdictions with weaker environmental regulation.
"We are a party of innovation," Paul said. "This is a policy that is complementary to our existing green member policy."
Carbon border adjustments, Théroux said, would "level the playing field" for Canadian businesses that abide by stringent regulations.
But Bosch said the idea isn't well thought-out and could complicate Canada's relationship with the Trump administration, which pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement.
"With the current U.S. administration, you might be just creating a tariff war," he said. "Something that Donald Trump has shown he is not adverse at all to getting involved in."
- A previous version of this story used an incorrect pronoun to refer to candidate Amita Kuttner. Kuttner is non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them.Sep 26, 2020 1:17 PM ET | {
"date": "2021-08-02T13:56:41Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154320.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20210802110046-20210802140046-00135.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9682168364524841,
"token_count": 1365,
"url": "https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/green-party-policy-leadership-1.5738946"
} |
Jay | Any Pronouns | Gay | Non-binary
Hey I'm Jay! Im an 19y/o artist based in New Zealand, specializing in sfw furry art and feral animal art! I also dabble in nsfw art, although Im pretty rusty with it at this stage. Im excited to start being active here again!
My friend Parkoon on deviantart is selling their old sona, they come with some really rad art and have a wonderful design! Please take a look and share with your friends <3
Joined 28 May 2017 | {
"date": "2018-03-18T22:54:11Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2018-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257646178.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20180318224057-20180319004057-00621.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9488571882247925,
"token_count": 116,
"url": "https://www.weasyl.com/~blvejay"
} |
I happened across this article. On the surface, it looks positive, right? A man writing lead female characters of colour? Representation in a genre that still denies representation to people who are not cis/straight/white/able-bodied/neurotypical/thin/male? Isn’t that awesome?
Unfortunately, to me, the piece pretty much encapsulates one of the major problems with majority people writing minority characters: the ‘look at me I’m writing about minorities’ mode of self-promotion.
I can’t help but read this as ‘I look at WOC and see them as human!’ It’s not so pretty when phrased like that, right?
(Warning: very long post. I talk about queer genre fiction, who writes it, who reads it and my place in it as a queer writer of queer genre fiction.)
Example time. The lead character in my novel is a DFAB neuroatypical genderless pansexual empath with depression, sensory processing issues, chronic pain and trauma. I will talk about how ze is those things until the cows come home, because those things relate wholly or partially to my identity and my position in the community of people with these overlapping identities. I get to stand up and complain about how characters like hir don’t exist in our literary tradition, and I get to promote the fact ze exists because I know that I am not the only one who needs to read about a hero like hir. The feedback I’ve gotten from one of my test readers – a neuroatypical trans woman with mental illness – has been absolutely amazing because she says she relates so well to hir character. Believe me, I feel absolutely chuffed when read her comments, not because it means I write well, but because the characters I need to matter as a reader do in fact mean something to those who, like me, are in want of heroes to emulate. It means I’m doing something right and worthwhile. It means that this character and hir story must exist, and it reminds me I am not alone to want that.
You know all this because I’ve mentioned it in a few (many) posts.
Here’s the thing I mention infrequently (usually to make a point about my identity and representation, certainly not as the subject of a whole post, never with overtones of giving advice). Ze isn’t white. Ze isn’t thin. I’m white and thin, in case you can’t tell (that’s sarcasm).
I wrote hir that way because there’s enough white and thin characters in the world. That’s it. I could go on and on about how I have several amazing not-thin relatives and friends who deserve to be heroes of a novel, and likewise for POC, but, seriously, it shouldn’t need explanation or justification.
And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter. I wouldn’t have even said that much if I weren’t writing this post to make a point of how I think an author should behave. I actually despise the fact that to write this article I need to name-drop this character’s race and size to make my point. Hypocrisy, my friends, but I’m not sure this article would work without it, so I’m leaving it in.
Why am I not talking about it? Because I don’t want to be a condescending arsehole patting myself on the back for being inclusive when, really, being inclusive means operating at a basic level of kindness and awareness. It’s step one of being a decent human being. It’s like going online and bragging to my friends that I gave a homeless person five bucks. Wow, you bothered to include a minority in your book? You bother to see us as human? So fucking good of you, mate! I’m so flattered and pleased that a majority writer included us and then rattled on about how good he is to do it!
(The author in the article linked might be a really awesome person with the best possible intentions. Unfortunately, his piece rubbed me the wrong way not because of his content but because it’s a really good example of a trend that has been pissing me off for a long time. I link only to provide an example, not knock the author himself. He is, after all, a majority writer, and most majority writers just don’t know better. Such is the reality of being of a majority identity.)
I’ll bring this back to a genre in which I can speak about with authority: queer fiction.
Queer genre fiction is made up of a massive percentage of straight cis female authors writing romances about gay cis men. (Typically: m/m.) There are gay male authors like Barry Lowe among many who write about gay cis men for primarily straight cis female readers*. Some of my best friends online are straight cis female authors who write gay cis man and trans folk romances, and when it comes to my sexuality and gender they are the most accepting, accommodating, understanding cishets I know. They beat my IRL friends, hands down, in giving a fuck about my pronouns and remembering them. If writing and reading about gay cis men opens them to a world where they can treat me like a fucking human being? Bring it on. I’m yet to find it in any other non-queer community, and, to me, this is a case study for why we need more queer representation in the mainstream media: it not only validates queer folk, it educates cishets and creates a place where we queers are accepted. It can happen: the m/m genre proves it.
(* Note: plenty of queer people, from the LGBP to the trans, non-binary and asexual, read m/m stories/books/manga/print media. I read them. For queer lady fiction – although not visual media – and trans fiction, queers are the primary audience, but this is less true in m/m. It is erasure to say that we’re not readers, but it’s not erasure, I don’t think, to admit that the genre isn’t skewed towards those who ostensibly form the natural audience.)
In fact, although I’m not a woman, and although I’m queer, and although I wrote about men as an expression of a gender I could not live at the time, it can be argued that some of my works (Death is Only a Theoretical Concept, particularly) fall under this label. I resisted that for a long time, to be honest. For a while I wanted to reject that part of my writing history – even though I wrote stories to allow me to affirm my own masculinity – because the thought of being like one of those not-queer writers who appropriates a queerness not mine (and this is a simplistic view) left me pretty uncomfortable.
(I look back on that and feel sad for me. That’s a subtle kind of self-hatred at play if I want to reject, wholesale, an important part of my growth and conceptualisation of my own identity. I’m not a man, but I am masculine. I shouldn’t be uncomfortable with the mode of my own expression. It is, in a sense, a kind of internalised transphobia.)
My feelings on this trend are complicated to say the least.
On the one hand, I will fight to the death to defend anyone’s right to write the words that move them. If I declare that nobody ever gets to tell someone else what they can and can’t write, that also means acknowledging the Shadow side: the opening of the door for appropriation by majorities who also claim that right. I believe, though, that I’d sooner allow appropriation to flourish than deny any minority the freedom to express and create. When I wave my flag for expression, I know the dangers of that. Others may disagree, but I accept that price, because that price is what allows me to write what I write with the freedoms I have.
I also believe that misogyny has more to play in this trend than the fetishisation of gay cis sexuality accounts for: if women are bombasted with weak, limited, disempowered, passive and one-note Strong Woman female characters, can you blame them for not wanting to write about women? I wanted to live as the man I was and did that through my words; don’t women, who are regarded with such hate for their gender, experiences, bodies, sex organs (I mean all women) and modes of sexual expression if they are not outright fetishised or both, want a chance to live through their words as someone who doesn’t live in that world? How wonderful and liberating would it be, for a time, to not be a woman in this shitty misogynistic world?
(I can answer: very.)
On the other hand, the fetishisation of gay cis sexuality, and one that leads to a lack of cis lesbian/queer woman fiction, the fetishisation and lack of transfeminine/DMAB non-binary identities and the lack of transmasculine/DFAB non-binary identities* (and intersex people don’t ever get a look in, ever mind asexual folk), is dangerous as a queer creative. Most publishers take non cis gay romances, but much do they publish in comparison? Queerness in its myriad other expressions is so seldom depicted in comparison, and it’s a lot harder to not only be published but to then have your work purchased once it is.
(* Note: there’s also problems with transmasculine/DFAB identities being lumped in with queer lady works while transfeminine/DMAB identities aren’t included in queer lady works. I have one specifically-lesbian anthology where the title is explicitly about being lesbian and the summary mentions trans men. No. This does no-one service, not when there are trans woman lesbians dying for want of positive representation.)
Here’s some numbers for you as per my Smashwords downloads, given that they’re both free: Crooked Words, my non-binary/trans/womanist short story collection, has had about 650 downloads over nine months. Death is Only a Theoretical Concept has had just over 230 downloads in just over two weeks. (I had ten downloads in the last twenty-four hours.) True, Death has a better cover, but Crooked Words’ cover isn’t so terrible, I think, that it accounts for the discrepancy. The difference between the two? Crooked Words is about queer, trans, non-binary and female people. (And yes, there is some hooking up, although not all the stories involve it.) Death is pretty much about two queer cis (Steve isn’t cis but is yet to know that, so it doesn’t count as representation) guys hooking up. I think it’s a slightly different take on that old saw, but, at heart, it’s nothing terribly new.
(Admittedly, there’s probably going to be more downloads at the start and then things taper off, so I offer this statistic: after six months, Crooked Words had four hundred ten downloads. So in the last three months it’s had about as many downloads as Death had in two weeks. I’ll be interested to come back six months and see where Death is at: that will be a determining statistic. Right now it’s just a curiosity.)
Romance about queer cis dudes (although Steve will come out as gender-fluid because non-binary representation, but then we get the DMAB transfeminine fetishisation thing so I doubt it’ll make a difference) sells. The people who don’t actually need representation – queer people, after all, are dying for want of books that affirm and celebrate their identities, and we need to never forget that – have a controlling voice in the genre, and while I have seen plenty of arguments that m/m romance is not queer fiction (I agree, in fact), the fact is that they’re often sold in the same categories at the same vendors by much the same publishers. They’re lumped together such that the only thing that stands aside from m/m is queer literature and memoir: there is no functional difference in terms of categorisation (if not form, theme and content) for it to matter to an audience. As a queer reader and writer, I need to wade through m/m to find the works that appeal to me – and I have to wade through cishet-authored m/m, f/f and trans fiction to find works written by queers.
I’d love to see a world where every cishet queer genre fiction author establishes their gender identity and sexual orientation so that readers in search for authenticity can easily find works written by queers.
(I say cishet because no, it’s not always safe to be queer, but when is it ever not safe to be cishet?)
Yes, I admit it: I prioritise the buying of works by queer writers.
Why should cishet writers fear this establishment, though? Queer readers will, can and do promote the hell out of those cishets who write good queer fiction. Write well, write honestly, write passionately, write with a mind to inclusion over appropriation, and we will love you as much as we love our favourite queer wordsmiths because there is not enough good queer fiction in the world. We want inclusion (especially if you are writing anything that is not gay cis men) and we will take it wherever we can get it. Several works on my recent rec posts were written by cishets. Some cishets have written things that have blown me away, and cishets most definitely need to do what they can on the quest for inclusion.
(Unless, of course, you’re going to do a hack job of it: I don’t need unexamined homophobia, transphobia or gender essentialism in my portrayals, thanks. Please just stick to writing about cishets, otherwise.)
We still need to prioritise queer writers and queer voices in a genre about being queer, simply because we are the ones who need to speak and be heard. We need to make an income from our words so we can keep writing the validating, life-affirming, empowering, educating words our queer siblings need to hear. We need to have an audience. Our lives depend on it. I have taken to promoting my gender, mental illness status and pronouns in everything I do in part because I want people to use my correct pronouns but also so people know my gender identity and sexual orientation (and mental illness status, given I write about crazy queer people) and can take that into account. All I want to do, very simply, is give queer readers as much information as possible so they can make the best possible choices. I don’t think that’s too much to be asking, and if you don’t understand why queer readers would even want to make such decisions, I think you need to look very hard at your privilege.
(Don’t think a non-binary DFAB person has anything meaningful to say in a book about dudes? Okay, don’t read. I’m happy for you to make that choice, but I should give you the info you need to make it. If I fear that you make such a choice or that discriminates against me in some way … well, I don’t think that says anything positive about me. And if you’re going to not read my works because I’m openly crazy and queer, you’re both a shitty human being and not my fucking audience.)
I don’t know if my dream is workable or practical (I’ve talked about the dangers in outing queer writers and the consequences of not outing) but it’s what I want to see because of the nature of the genre.
What’s my point, now that I’ve established queer genre fiction in two thousand (plus) words?
My friends don’t go on about how awesome and accepting they are for writing about gay cis men and trans people. They just write what they like and treat me like my words are real. They are mature, responsible people who know the difference between writing about gay cis men and trans folk and making their writing all about gay cis men and trans folk. This, however, isn’t necessarily standard behaviour among cishet writers. I’m not going to link because I don’t want to be targeting individual authors, but I don’t know how many times I’ve seen cishet m/m authors talk about how they are open-minded for their subject matter of choice, give advice for writing queer characters (or talk about how it’s no/little different from writing cishets) or broadcast their genre as if the act of writing m/m is a profound, subversive blow for queer representation – a form of activism. I’ve seen cishet f/f writers carry on much the same; the amount of cishet dudes I’ve seen laud themselves over the inclusions of lesbians in their work is enough to inspire rage. Too many cishet writers, unfortunately, write blog posts and even entire blogs all about the importance of queer writing and representation (and again, I won’t link) as if they have something meaningful to say on the subject. I sign up to read about queer people giving their thoughts on queer fiction and discover a host of posts where cishets tell me what I already know. There’s this disconcerting impression I get from some cishet writers that just by dint of writing queer fiction they have an authority to engage in dialogue about the writing of this genre beyond the craft of words – even if that only means writing a post about how of course they write queers as human.
(And this is where we come back to the continual struggle between the right to self-expression, saying things that have already been said because someone is in need of hearing those words, and who has the right to speak about such things from a position of authority in the first place. The Shadow side, of course. Good allies, though, will do their best to be aware of not speaking for the people they’re trying to champion as opposed to promoting the voices of those they support.)
The authors I respect are the ones who flat out say I like writing about hot gay cis men/hot lesbian cis women and then go on to talk about something else. (Bi/pan people don’t really exist, remember.) The authors I respect are the ones who don’t touch coming out, queerness and mental illness or the lived reality of being queer in favour of hot cis dudes/ladies romancing and fucking – or only touch it as an aspect of character/worldbuilding/plot/situation as opposed to being the profound central motif/element of the book. They’re not activists and they’re not promoting their superior vision of humanity; they’re just storytellers writing the stories that move them about the characters that excite and inspire them. It’s still a complicated issue – authority, authenticity, appropriation, representation, oppression and expression are a moral entanglement with no simple answers – but it is to my mind a more honest approach that still allows space for queer voices to come in and talk queer. We can co-exist. I don’t think a cishet writer, with this approach, should have to be uncomfortable about what they write or why.
It is not actually all that profound to believe that queer people are deserving of both humanity and representation as humans … and I’m inclined to believe that any cishet author who gets on that pedestal while writing solely or mostly about gay cis men (or lesbian cis women) is in fact revealing more about themselves, their privilege and their attitude towards said privilege than they are their (limited) thoughts on queer equality. (Nobody has to include all the queer characters in their work. They shouldn’t pat themselves on the back for their activism, though, either.) But this brings us right back to the need for allies to sit back and listen to minorities, doesn’t it?
This last paragraph is my problem with the linked article.
Unfortunately, though, it is operating within the same sort of context as cishet writers of queer fiction in their respective genre (and sub-genres): we live in a world where it is acceptable for allies to swoop in, write about minorities, dominate a genre that should be about minorities and applaud themselves for their actions. This isn’t a one-off example. This is a pattern.
Allies, if you are talking about your representation, you’re not only being obnoxious but also missing the point: providing representation for minorities is not about you. If I wrote a post on how white people need to include POC in their fiction and I totally include POC characters in my novel because I’m totally not one of those white racists (never mind the fact that as a white person I’m racist by default), it would be arrogant beyond belief!
(And there’s nothing groundbreaking in a majority person rattling on about including minorities in their works or advising the world on how to write them. Something minorities have been doing since day dot. It’s just harder for us to get an audience, and majority writers need to never forget this.)
This is the change the world needs to see: the simple, casual, natural inclusion of minorities in works by allies without fanfare.
Show, don’t tell. | {
"date": "2019-03-23T13:29:36Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202804.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20190323121241-20190323143241-00503.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9571208357810974,
"token_count": 4612,
"url": "https://queerwithoutgender.com/2014/09/14/allies-and-minorities-in-fiction/"
} |
Tottenham Hotspur travel to Belgrade today ahead of their match with Red Star on Wednesday. Famous for one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the world, Spurs look to take a huge step toward qualification for the knockout stage. The task is not impossible, but it will be daunting. Joining us this week is Kirsten Schlewitz and Uros Popovic from the football blog Unusual Efforts. Kirsten’s a fan of Red Star and well in-tune with Serbian football. Our guests offer their perspectives on the matchup, what Red Star has to do in order to stay in Europe and why qualification for the Champions League is so skewed.
CFC: First off, talk to us about Unusual Efforts and what you and the staff there do!
UE: Unusual Efforts is a website that is created entirely by women and non-binary persons, but directed to the soccer-loving community at large (and sometimes, given our content, it resonates with those who aren’t even all that interested in soccer, but want to read about its intersection with politics, or health, or a specific time period). I’m the editor-in-chief and due to serious health issues it’s been difficult to put out new content, but they’re finally under control and we’ve got a bunch of stories lined up. Our editorial board and podcast team are called The Jellyfish (no, we don’t remember why); Jessie Losch (a Spurs fan!) helps with editing and often sets the podcast agenda, Megan Smith does a lot of our socials and helps keep us organized, and Sonja Missio is in charge of sniffing out money and making amazing photoshops. [Author’s note: Now we know where to send Earl of Shoop for lessons.] While we haven’t been putting up much content recently, we’ve been doing a lot of behind the scenes work to foster community, which fits with our overarching goal: find women and non-binary persons ways to enter soccer media. The larger the community we have, the more likely that someone knows someone who might have an in somewhere!
CFC: The Serbian SuperLiga has been dominated by the two clubs in Belgrade, Red Star and Partizan, since its founding 13 years ago. Are the two Eternal Derby clubs run that much better than the others or is there more to it?
UE: The two have dominated ever since Yugoslavia fell apart, since 1991 the only other team that’s won was FK Obilić in 1997-98...and the club’s president was indicted for war crimes the next year. Even in the old Yugoslavia, Red Star and Partizan were the most decorated, though it wasn’t as ridiculous as now. The primary reason is these two clubs have always been favored by the governments (both Yugoslavian and Serbian). The two continue to have the biggest budgets and most fans throughout Serbia support one of these two clubs. It’s very rare that those two don’t end up as the top two in the league - though it did happen last season when Partizan finished 3rd, some 30 points behind Red Star.
CFC: We’ve all seen the rather intimidating video of the tunnel cam. Was that an unusual circumstance, or can Spurs expect a similar reception on Wednesday?
UE: The tunnel video that circulated last year was shot prior to our Europa League games in 2017. The graffiti is gone, but that’s not going to stop it being a bit scary for visitors, as it’s quite long and quite loud. When the players emerge, it won’t be to a friendly reception...the noise will get steadily louder as they come out. We can’t say teams will be more prepared for how the atmosphere will affect them this season, as only Olympiacos has been to the Markana, and they were met with a friendly reception (the teams are twinned). Yet the longer the game went on, the more rattled they seem (of course, their red card didn’t help)..
CFC: Red Star has only played one home Champions League match thus far, and they defeated 10 man Olympiacos, as you mentioned. We know they beat Liverpool in Belgrade last season. How confident are you that they can get a result against a Spurs side that has struggled mightily on the road?
UE: Did you know Zvezda beat Liverpool on the exact day that Spurs will come to town? And that we defeated the same domestic team, with the same scoreline, prior to that match? [Author’s Note: We’re screwed.] You’re lucky though; that was the 7pm game, so maybe the bad juju won’t pass to you. We hope so, though, because that 5-0 defeat was tough to watch. Yet Red Star is much tougher at home - more aggressive, braver. That said, the first half against Olympiacos was not particularly good. Although the halftime atmosphere was friendly (Red Star fans cheered the visitors, even though they were winning, the team came back out ready to fight, and dominated even before Olympiacos got a red card. Adding a second striker really changed the game; although Olympiacos had few decent attacks, it was mostly one-sided.
We acknowledge the big gap in quality between the two teams...but we also acknowledged it before Liverpool. It’ll come down to just how shaken Spurs were by Sunday’s draw (and horrific injury) and how they handle the atmosphere. Like we said, teams seem to know, on an intellectual level, what they’re walking into, but they still appear shaken when they hear just how much noise the Marakana can make...and that we don’t let up after the initial reception. In other words, we’ve got no need for a Man City-style recruitment of “influencers” to create an atmosphere here.
CFC: How do you think Red Star adjusts to this match given the 5-0 loss on the road to Spurs?
UE: One thing that has to change is that Red Star needs to be more aggressive. It’s a bit strange for a team like Red Star, that is clearly weaker, to have made fewer fouls than Tottenham. It seemed that the team tried to be more open than against Bayern, but wasn’t really fully committed and they ended up looking silly at times. Tottenham, besides just being better, is also physically stronger, especially in midfield, so I would expect us to add more muscle there, perhaps even a three-man midfield to try to make it a more balanced battle. The lineup will definitely change because our best striker, Richmond Boakye, is back from injury, and the team won’t have to depend entirely on Marko Marin.
CFC: Are there concerns over safety for visiting English fans, especially after the away support ban in London?
UE: We sincerely doubt there is any reason to be afraid. This is the third year in a row that Red Star have been in European play, and none of the visiting fans have encountered problems. I would not expect the ultras to invite Tottenham fans to walk together to the game, like they did with Olympiacos, but they’re unlikely to harass you in the street. That said, regardless of which city you go to: be careful. Avoid doing anything that could be considered a provocation in the idiots who take this ultra thing too seriously...and maybe bring a neutral sweatshirt to cover your kit once the visiting fans are allowed out of the stadium.
Also, go out and sit in a cafe and drink coffee for an hour. You may end up making friends with the opposition. Serbs like to talk.
CFC: A more general question: Do you think qualification for the smaller leagues to Europe’s biggest competition is too harsh and what changes do you think could be implemented?
UE: Absolutely. Red Star began playing qualifiers in July, so it already feels like we’ve played an entire season. It does kind of make it a little sweeter when we do end up qualifying for Champions League, but it is ridiculously hard - not just for Red Star, but for all the teams from smaller leagues. It should be made easier for them to reach the group stage. Obviously, that doesn’t mean we should deliberately make the Champions League weaker, but having to go through four rounds of matches to reach the group stage is too much.
To be quite honest, if it was up to me, I would get rid of the group stage and bring back the old Champions Cup format and get rid of the UEFA coefficient system so, for example, Barcelona could meet Manchester City in the first round.. But obviously none of that will happen, and we’ll go the opposite way with some sort of Super League.
CFC: What’s your prediction for the match?
UE: Uros: Realistically, I think it could be a hard-fought game, but likely a win for Spurs. Let’s say 2-1 [and hope the reverse-jinx works]
Kirsten: I don’t do predictions, precisely because of jinxing. I’m just thrilled to be able to watch Champions League games live.
A huge shout-out to Kirsten and Uros for joining us for Know Your Opponent. I highly recommend you check out Unusual Efforts when you get some time and we wish them all the best in the future. | {
"date": "2023-06-03T09:26:08Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649177.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603064842-20230603094842-00632.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.971123456954956,
"token_count": 2004,
"url": "https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2019/11/5/20949436/tottenham-hotspur-news-know-your-opponent-red-star-belgrade"
} |
For this Rule Breakers edition of Bustle's Most Wanted, Bustle partnered up with @shop to showcase some of the best breakout, women-owned fashion and beauty brands you can buy on Instagram's new shopping account.
You know that little thrill that comes with hitting "complete transaction" when making an online purchase? The promise of the perfectly sheer lip gloss or outfit-completing crossbody bag that will be a part of your life in two to five business days? Well it feels even better when you’re buying from an up-and-coming brand. Your purchase not only enriches your life, it also supports a real person who’s following their dream and trying to make a difference in the retail world.
This May, Instagram launched @shop — an account that features a cool product from a different small business every day. You can shop directly from each post, meaning you can tap each image or video to learn more about the product and go to the brand’s website to buy what you see.
@shop has featured more than 90 small businesses since its inception — and for Bustle's Rule Breakers digital issue, the account is spotlighting 11 special brands that were started by rule-breaking women founders. From @susan_alexandra's bold beaded bags to @golde’s superfood face masks to @girlfriend’s sustainable yoga leggings, these pieces, like the women who made them, stand out. Shop this special edition of Bustle’s Most Wanted, and follow @shop for more!
A few years ago, KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson, friends from business school, were sharing beauty woes over a few glasses of wine. Both women were looking for the perfect nude lipstick but nothing they found was a perfect match for their skin tones. Thus, the inspiration for Mented (short for pigmented) was born. “At the beginning, it was very much just the two of us trying to solve our own problems,” Johnson says. The brand’s Skin by Mented foundation sticks come in 16 shades and are vegan, hypoallergenic, and cruelty-free.
Shop Mented and get more of the story on @shop.
For Ellie and Quang Dinh, co-founders of Girlfriend Collective, it was a kitchen table conversation that led to an aha moment. Ellie felt there was no brand on the market that fit her active but amateur workout lifestyle — or that of any of her girlfriends. So the pair set out to create pieces that worked for every workout on every body. Even better, they made their pieces sustainable: Each pair of Girlfriend Collective Compressive High-Rise Leggings (which come in sizes XXS - 6XL) is made from 25 upcycled water bottles.
Shop Girlfriend Collective and get more of the story on @shop.
“There’s no rulebook with how you should wear our stuff,” says Isabella Giancarlo, who partnered with Laura Kraber to launch non-binary beauty brand Fluide in 2018. “Makeup is a powerful tool for self expression and self actualization,” Giancarlo says. “We’re about using your face as a canvas instead of saying ‘hey you should look like this’ — which was the message I received from a lot of beauty companies growing up.” The brand’s bold-colored polish is also 7-free, meaning you can get a bold pop of saturated color without any toxic ingredients in the mix.
Shop Fluide and get more of the story on @shop.
It’s not uncommon to find jewelry with a modern aesthetic. But pieces inspired by the ancient world and printed using 3D technology? That’s a bit less common. Xenophora designer Karissma Yve says she’s been fascinated by the civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece since she was a kid. Those interests played into the jewelry she started making in her teens. Now, the Detroit-based creator has evolved her process to use the latest design technologies, leading to products with an unexpected (some might say rule-breaking) duality. Yve's pieces are also often inspired by nature: Her latest collection, featuring the sterling silver Bamboo Cuff, is titled Lotus in the Mud.
Shop Xenophora and get more of the story on @shop.
Brinker & Eliza
Who says you need to have a SoHo showroom to be the industry’s buzziest jewelry brand? Mother-daughter duo Brinker and Eliza Higgins’ colorful, sea-inspired jewelry is handcrafted in their Connecticut home. “We hand-make everything,” Eliza says. “We don't want to be mass, like the big huge brands out there — that's not what we're about.” The brand's Mermaid Fringe Barrette combines two big hair trends: clips and cowrie shells.
Shop Brinker & Eliza and get more of the story on @shop.
Makeup artist Gloria Noto turned to herbalism and aromatherapy when she was in her 20s to help with skin care issues. But Noto says that the natural beauty brands that were on the market at the time didn’t speak to her. “I wasn’t seeing diversity in that space as a queer woman,” she says. “And I wasn’t seeing any minimalistic designs, either.” So Noto started experimenting with formulations and used her clientele to test her own products. Her line, Noto Botanics, includes the Deep Serum, which features marula, grapeseed, sea buckthorn, grapefruit oil, green coffee oil, and more. (And it smells great.)
Shop Noto Botanics and get more of the story on @shop.
“Nobody thought it was going to be a thing,” says accessories designer Susan Korn of the response when she first told family and friends about her vision for a technicolor beaded accessories empire. But when Korn launched Susan Alexandra in 2014, it became a thing — quickly. Susan’s maximalist, textured, often fruit-inspired pieces have been spotted on everyone from Gigi Hadid to Suri Cruise. The Strawberry bag is the perfect size for your essentials and is handmade in New York City.
Shop Susan Alexandra and get more of the story on @shop.
Golde co-founder Trinity Mouzon Wofford has always been into wellness. As a child, she and her grandmother studied ingredient labels to better understand what was in every product they put in or on their bodies. So when Wofford started thinking about starting her own line (aimed at making wellness accessible), she started with the ingredients — specifically superfoods like turmeric and spirulina. Golde’s Clean Greens powder-to-gel face mask makes your skin feel extra clean, fresh, and healthy.
Shop Golde and get more of the story on @shop.
There’s a subversive historical undercurrent to Emily Bode’s menswear designs. “I work with fabrics that are mostly traditional domestic textiles,” she explains. “And those have historically been created by women. So I like the idea of using something very female focused, but making it for men to wear.” Thankfully, the CFDA 2019 Emerging Designer of the Year and first woman designer to show at NYFW: Men’s does have a few entry points for most shoppers — Bode's pieces, like the Jaipur Sleeper Shirt, make a chic statement no matter how you identify.
Shop Bode and get more of the story on @shop.
“We're a future-forward body brand,” Chromat founder and designer Becca McCharen-Tran says. Founded in 2010, Chromat has broken new ground in terms of representation in the fashion industry. “All the press from our shows was about the models — their size and diversity,” McCharen-Tran says. “I thought, ‘Well, this should be normal, this is normal to me,’ but it was shocking for a lot of people.” Chromat’s summer collection, including the Mikito suit, is utility-chic and ethically made from sustainable Italian fabric.
Shop Chromat and get more of the story on @shop.
Katie Sturino was chafed about, well, chafing. Specifically, heat-related thigh chafing. So in 2017, the style blogger started a business to tackle the personal care issues she felt weren’t being addressed in the beauty space. “We wanted to take these shameful problems and take the stigma out,” she says. Her company Megababe launched with two products: Bust Dust powder and the Thigh Rescue anti-chafe stick, the latter of which sold out within a week when it was first introduced in 2017.
Shop Megababe and get more of the story on @shop. | {
"date": "2021-08-06T00:20:33Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046152085.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20210805224801-20210806014801-00052.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.960745096206665,
"token_count": 1909,
"url": "https://www.bustle.com/p/bustles-most-wanted-the-11-best-fashion-beauty-brands-you-can-buy-on-instagram-shop-18659646"
} |
Legal FAQ: Surrogacy in Maine
Updated: Jan 26
The legalities of surrogacy arrangements are complex. To better understand Maine surrogacy laws and the requirements for surrogacy contracts in Maine, I have provided answers to the most frequently asked questions below.
Is surrogacy legal in Maine?
Yes. Maine is a "surrogacy friendly" state. The Maine Parentage Act expressly permits surrogacy arrangements in Maine. This Act sets forth the requirements for individuals to be eligible to enter into surrogacy contracts, and provides a list of the requirements necessary for enforceability of a surrogacy contract. The Maine Parentage Act recognizes same sex couples and applies to all intended parents regardless of sexual identity or gender.
"Every child has the same rights under law
as any other child without regard
to the marital status or gender of the parents."
Is surrogacy for compensation (commercial surrogacy) permitted in Maine?
Yes. Surrogates in Maine can be compensated as long as the compensation is reasonable and negotiated in good faith. Altruistic surrogacy (surrogacy without compensation) is also permitted in Maine.
Is traditional surrogacy permitted in Maine?
Yes, but only under certain circumstances involving a familial relationship between the surrogate and an intended parent. Any other traditional surrogacy arrangement in Maine will require a formal adoption process.
Are surrogacy contracts valid and enforceable in Maine?
Yes. A surrogacy contract is enforceable if it meets all the requirements set forth in the Maine Parentage Act and complies with the principles of contract law.
What are the requirements for an enforceable surrogacy contract in Maine?
The Maine Parentage Act provides the requirements for an enforceable surrogacy contract in Title 19-A §1932. In order to enter a surrogacy contract, all parties must meet the eligibility requirements referenced above. In addition, all parties must have independent legal counsel to represent them in the drafting and negotiation of the contract, and to advise them of the potential legal consequences of the contract before it is executed. The surrogacy contract must be in writing, signed by all parties, and notarized and executed prior to any medical procedures contemplated therein. The contract must include provisions addressing the legal, financial, and contractual rights, duties, expectations, and obligations of the surrogacy agreement. It must require no more than a one year term to achieve pregnancy. At least one party to contract must be a Maine resident.
Surrogacy contracts are complex legal documents.
These contracts should always be drafted and negotiated by an attorney
specializing in assisted reproductive technology or artificial conception.
Failing to properly comply with the requirements set forth in the
Maine Parentage Act can lead to a multitude of legal issues for all parties.
Can both intended parents be legal parents of the child(ren) born via surrogacy?
Yes, both intended parents can be the legal parents of the child(ren) born via surrogacy regardless of marital status, sexual orientation, or genetic relationship to the child(ren).
Does being a same-sex couple or a non-binary intended parent have any legal consequence?
No. All intended parents are treated the same by Maine surrogacy laws regardless of sexual orientation or gender.
Are pre-birth orders and post-birth orders permitted in Maine?
Yes. In Maine, pre-birth parentage orders and post-birth parentage orders may be obtained by any intended parent so long as all the contractual requirements for a valid surrogacy arrangement are satisfied.
Will Maine honor a pre-birth order issued by another state?
Yes, but if a pre-birth order is issued by another state it must be domesticated by a Maine court.
Who will appear on the birth certificate? What will it say?
In Maine, the legal parents of the child at the time of birth will appear on the birth certificate. Parents of the same gender will be named "Parent" and "Parent" on the birth certificate.
Are there any additional laws for intended parents outside the United States who complete a surrogacy in Maine?
No. As long as the surrogate is a legal resident of Maine intended parents living outside of the United States can complete a surrogacy in Maine.
If you have questions about surrogacy arrangements in Maine,
please reach out to Janene Oleaga, Esq.
This article contains general information about Oleaga Law, LLC and
surrogacy arrangements in Maine. Neither this article nor its contents should be construed as legal advice. An attorney-client relationship is not created by viewing this article or this website, nor by sending any communication via this website or directly to Oleaga Law, LLC. Oleaga Law, LLC and Janene Oleaga, Esq. expressly disclaim all liability from actions or inactions based on the contents of this article and the website it appears on. | {
"date": "2021-07-23T15:57:57Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046149929.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20210723143921-20210723173921-00456.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9179790616035461,
"token_count": 994,
"url": "https://www.mainereproductionlawyer.com/post/legal-faqs-surrogacy-in-maine"
} |
The University of Oldenburg explicitly understands its mentoring programmes as an important aspect of academic personnel development, which, at the same time, contribute to the development of the university as a whole. The university aims to create the best possible framework conditions to support early-career researchers in their personal and professional development and to promote their autonomy. Programmes targeted at specific groups, especially female researchers* , support the university's objective of advancing gender equality in science and academia and promoting diversity.
*This refers to all persons who define themselves as female researchers. This explicitly includes trans*, inter* and non-binary people who identify as female. Similarly, the term 'male researcher' is used with the same intent of inclusion for individuals who identify as male. The term ‘mentor’ also refers to all people who want to take on this task, regardless of their gender identity.
Mentoring is an individual career development measure which is defined by an individual partnership between the mentee and the mentor. Throughout the mentoring partnership, mentees are supported by a mentor, an individual that has progressed at least one step further in their academic career and can therefore pass on appropriate experience.
One-to-one mentoring is usually complemented by a supporting programme that prepares the mentees for their role and offers opportunities for networking and reflecting on the mentoring process. In addition, training workshops or lectures are usually offered that are specifically tailored to the needs of the mentees.
If necessary, individual coaching appointments can be booked by the mentees in most programmes to deal with individual questions related to mentoring and/or their current professional situation. These coaching sessions are usually carried out by the trainer of the supporting programme.
For mentors in UOL programmes, preparatory group coaching sessions are provided in some programmes. The programme coordinators are also available for individual consultation on request. In addition, the professional development/organizational development section offers workshops, training and coaching specifically for academic leadership.
A mentoring programme usually consists of several components:
- One-to-one mentoring
- Career phase-specific training through workshops or lectures
- Networking opportunities
- Individual coaching
The mentee and mentor participate in the programme voluntarily and at their own initiative.
There is no direct dependency relationship between mentee and mentor through direct or indirect employment or academic supervision of doctoral or postdoctoral research.
The mentoring partnership is maintained over a set period of time, although it may be continued informally by individual agreement.
Personal contact between the mentor and the mentee is of great importance to successful mentoring from the beginning and during the mentoring partnership and can be supplemented by email correspondence, telephone or video calls.
Mentoring meetings take place in a protected space and must be kept strictly confidential by the parties involved.
Keeping appointments and agreements is an essential prerequisite for a successful mentoring partnership.
Expectations and agreement
At the beginning of the mentoring partnership, specific expectations and agreements on aims, contact arrangements, feedback and other important aspects should be communicated between the mentee and mentor and, if necessary, be recorded in writing.
The role of mentor is taken by people who are at an advanced stage of their careers or who work in a field that is relevant to the mentee’s professional future.
It is the mentor’s task to support the mentee, especially in professional decision-making and during transitional phases, by passing on their experience and introducing mentees to their own professional networks. It is precisely the passing on of informal knowledge relevant to specific fields and networks that is of particular value to mentees.
Through their commitment, mentors also gain new experiences and successes in supporting early-career researchers. Exchanging experiences with mentees opens up insights into the current conditions for career development and new perspectives on the mentor’s own career. Mentors also strengthen their own consultation and leadership skills and demonstrate their commitment to early-career researchers in an exemplary manner.
The success of the mentoring partnership is highly dependent on the mentees’ initiative. Mentees are responsible for seeking suitable mentors – with guidance – and ensuring that the mentoring partnership meets their professional development needs. Mentees are responsible for preparing topics and questions for mentoring meetings and for organizing meetings.
Mentees gain exclusive career advice tailored to their interests through mentoring. They can build contacts and networks that last beyond the duration of the mentoring programme. The accompanying training programme offers the opportunity to acquire additional knowledge and competences that are helpful for personal and professional development.
The mentoring guidelines provide advice for establishing the mentoring partnership and may serve as reference throughout the mentoring partnership.
A brief information sheet for mentorsis also available in German or English.
An optional mentoring agreement in German or English is available for clarifying the formal aspects of the mentoring partnership.
The University of Oldenburg is a member of Forum Mentoring. Bundesverband Mentoring in der Wissenschaft e.V. (German association for mentoring in science)
All mentoring programmes are supervised by coordinators and supported by professional coaches. Participation in the programme is subject to a structured application procedure. For mentors in UOL programmes, preparatory group coaching sessions are provided in some programmes. The programme coordinators are also available for individual consultation on request. In addition, the professional development/organizational development section offers workshops, training and coaching specifically for academic leadership.
Both the individual events of the monitoring programme and the programmes as a whole will be evaluated.
On the following pages, information is given on the current mentoring programmes of the University of Oldenburg for different target groups and conditions for participation. If you have any questions, please contact the programme coordinator. | {
"date": "2021-07-25T10:26:19Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046151641.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20210725080735-20210725110735-00096.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9412218928337097,
"token_count": 1174,
"url": "https://uol.de/en/academic-research/graduate-academy/courses/6-mentoring"
} |
File: 1545857904466.jpeg (31.13 KB, 500x375, A06D65E3-A4D3-4293-8EF8-9934D2…)
File: 1545867270446.png (2.66 MB, 1136x1592, IMG_4015.PNG)
Nintendo is an arrogant company that has been riding on nostalgia for the last 30 years, they believe they don't have to compete in their chosen industry and they demonstrate this by selling underpowered, overpriced and gimmicky game consoles with first party games that would have been considered mediocre shit if they were a new original IP in 2018 and not the tail end of a 35 year old franchise.
They literally sell a cardboard controller kit for Nintendo switch that lets you "build your own fun" for the low low price of $80 - and their fans ate that shit up on release.
File: 1545880856288.jpeg (116.05 KB, 678x960, 25670B48-E7B3-462E-BA3F-278088…)
Nobody is responsible for “checking up on you” and your depression. It’s such anload of shit when somebody offs themselves and people go and blame their friends and family for not catering to their mental illness and knowing that living in a pigsty and overall being lazy meant that they wanted tondieZ
i just wish the idea that all depressed people or those who killed themselves live slovenly. sure thats a good sign of not giving a fuck but a lot of people cave under the pressure of having to keep up an identity or reputation.
it just reminds the people who knew someone who killed themselves of their own mortality and their own lack of doing more. why not foist the anger and blame on someone else.
i support assisted suicide. go on your own terms. but i fucking hate people who threaten suicide or make other people responsible for their own lack of will to live. i may live in burgerland but even if youre a sad fuck you can still go somewhere to have someone be require by law to give a tiny lil shit about you. l
People are always going to hate on 'unattainable beauty', the kind of beauty you can only be born with. Doesn't matter what race you are. Just accept that beauty has been and will always be discriminatory.
fuck off, moralfag. men aren't like women. most of them probably do enjoy hetero "rape," could've easily stopped it if they really wanted to, and only come out about it for attention or to prove a point.
and it is in no way man hate to acknowledge that male on female rape is worse tham female on male rape. it's just the truth. even most incels would admit that.
Yeah because women rape men through force by overpowering them. Retard.
And of course it's unheard of that an adult woman can rape a child, the latter not really aware of what exactly is going on.
You might want to ingest tide pods and call it a night, anon.
I agree that Nintendo overprices their shit like crazy but their arrogance has to do with historical things. They took the video game industry from its massive slump in the 80's by making quality games and having massively demanding standards for their 3rd party developers so that the video game crash caused by shitty games would never happen again and ruin their business. That attitude has survived to this day despite the situation being very different as video games are a fortified part of our everyday lives now.
I don't think Labo is THAT stupid though, I can see it being a fun project for nerdy parents to have with their children. I'm also glad that at least one video game company produces gimmicky consoles and controllers. I don't buy them myself, but I could see how I would've loved them as a kid. As for the underpowered thing, comparing something like a Playstation with a Nintendo console is sort of like apples and oranges anyway, it doesn't make sense to do so. Playstation has always been about more technical prowess and a wide selection of games while Nintendo has been about their own IPs and offering the consumer an experience that goes beyond playing games. I sorta agree about milking 30-year old franchises all over again but they're still popular with a new generation and keep reinventing their game mechanics so it's not really a problem in my opinion. It's nice to have the option to support a company that isn't all about making ultra-realistic graphics and wants to offer something beyond that. Also not a Nintendofag, just a grandma who was alive to see and respect Nintendo for all it's done for the gaming industry.
But yeah literally fuck their pricing, their consoles and other products have always been ridiculously expensive which is one of the reasons as to why I don't buy them.
Agreed, in principle I would never dismiss anyone's rape as not real rape or less serious or whatever. But female on male rape is vanishingly rare and is only ever brought up to shut feminists down. Men only use it disingenuously as a 'gotcha' despite the fact that they are isolated incidents rather than a pattern or any sort of actual widespread threat to men.
And frankly, considering how hard women had to fight to have rape taken seriously (and the fact that it still isn't), the burden should be on men to fight for themselves as well, not feminists. It won't take much to get women on board but they are their own worst enemies - their biggest goal should be to convince their brodude macho peers who think it's awesome that it isn't. Good luck to em.
>>344286>having massively demanding standards for their 3rd party developers so that the video game crash caused by shitty games would never happen again and ruin their business. That attitude has survived to this day despite the situation being very different as video games are a fortified part of our everyday lives now.
This was the attitude that did save gaming from all the shitty Amiga and Atari shovelware in the 80's but it also came back to bite Nintendo in the ass around the Playstation era when many of their top developers such as Squaresoft jumped ship to their top rival because they were easier to develop for. These days most triple A games don't get a Nintendo release, you get a Nintendo console if you want to play Nintendo games - that's about it.
I feel like they're very similar to Apple in their attitude towards tying their exclusive hardware to their software and trying to create a unique 'culture' out of that.
Ngl I laughed when I saw it in my mentions considering I fucking hate League and Kpop. The video is just sad and feels exclusively targeted towards men and any women enjoying this garbage is probs just mentally stunted kpop stans.
Also yes lol the animation, the 'blacklight' effect was a cheap way to dodge too much costly animating and the 'live show' gave me such NEET vibes ala Vocaloid with thousands of these loser men screaming for their skinty scantily clad uwu digital waifus that can barely dance because the rigs are based off of ana chan dancing by female kpop stars so it just looks like the "yummy dance" with how much lack of life kpop dancing inherently has then mix in shiiiiit model rigs with trash texturing and you have this.
The song sucking was sort of no surprise because kpop? Shit all sounds the same and feels like it was created 5 years too late on a production budget of 10$
It could hurt for men put yourself in the situation of a man being raped by a hambeast sadistic woman.
But its definitely less intrusive because of the difference between male and female physiology women have hymens and internal sexual reproductive organs males are outside.
Its a little callus to say men don't experience pain fullstop from hetero rape but I see where your coming from.
File: 1545915846714.jpg (113.83 KB, 1280x720, maxresdefault.jpg)
I have no interest in LoL and I thought the rendering in this video was really good and the song isn't THAT bad and it has great ideas, but my god the character models are SO ugly. They honestly look like cartoon Sims characters. Why can't western developers create a beautiful face on a 3D model for once? My unpopular opinion is that it would've worked better with real people in costumes.
Homophobia exists but you don't see the gays shooting up schools, or slutshamed girls etc
It's a male entitlement thing
always freaks me out when I say teenager incels. They're like "oooh im 17 and a virgin!" meanwhile I barely know any
people who lost their virginity before 17.
by "beauty" most people mean conventional beauty
no one is arguing about non-standardized personal opinions lol…
Not always. To check, whenever someone talks about "classical beauty", gush over women like Dorothy Dandridge, Donyale Luna, Pam Grier, Tura Satana, Eartha Kitt and vintage Bollywood actresses.
Whoever was actually just talking about that old beauty aesthetic in itself will be delighted that you know exactly what they mean, while racists will just start getting angry (and will probably only be able to mention Marilyn Monroe without consulting Google. Hedy Lamar >>>>>, by the way).
yeah, when it comes to harm done to men, it's usually other men, the kinds who suppress those who aren't as "masculine" as they are- and masculine means something different to them than it would a non-suppressive male, female, or child. In my experience some women, like tradthots, enable the suppressive male's meaning of "masculinity" as well. these are the men who bully both girls and boys growing up, who will continue to hurt women and men who aren't like him throughout his life, and the people who enable him and don't teach him how he's supposed to treat others are partially to blame as well.
for example, i grew up in catholic schools, and there was always "that guy" who would molest girls as "a joke". just thinking about the guys makes me ill. whenever they were outed, the most they got were in-school suspensions. the schools turn a blind eye to boys like this, which allows them to basically get away with it, and i can guarantee they continue to get worse; i was friends with a boy in high school who ended up raping a girl after we graduated. adults are reactive rather than proactive. instead of making damn sure a boy knows that it's incredibly fucked to lay their grubby hands on a person without consent, they wait until after it happens. even then, there is barely a modicrum of punishment for that behavior.
most issues in the world are caused by patriarchal, greedy men who lack empathy. it seems most men have still not learned to keep their damn hands to themselves- you know, a lesson we are all taught in preschool.
There’s just not enough evidence to prove it and it just sounds ridiculous.
TBH, questioning evolution saved my life. I was srsly gonna kill myself, but I was watching Kent Hovind and hearing him say that you’re not a accident you were intelligently designed gave me hope.
I really just see no reason to stay alive if it doesn’t mean anything and we’re all just accidents, just slightly smarter monkeys. There’s no point.
We all have valuable traits which were deemed desirable enough to pass on (or our ancestors wouldn't have bred), and worthy of financial recompense (or our ancestors would simply have starved to death)
We are here by our OWN intelligent design. We are all worthwhile, intelligent, attractive and talented people, even if we don't always feel it. I hate people who inflict their own stupid attitude onto others (this idea of "random"). Humans of all things are not random. Survival of the fittest still applies in the western world. The biggest crime is someone being made to feel as if they aren't valuable.
I played the GameCube version of Animal Crossing as a kid shortly after it came out and got really into it. It was a different game for the time and I enjoyed the relaxing vibe it had as well as all the collecting.
Last year, I started playing New Leaf. Maybe it’s because I’m now a jaded, not easily impressed adult but I don’t get why some people are so into certain aspects of the game especially how they go apeshit over some of the villagers. They all have the same sets of dialogue and responses with only minor variations. The game just doesn’t seem to have changed too much from the GameCube version and I stopped playing it after a month.
It’s a series with a ton of potential though and I hope that Nintendo puts more effort into actually expanding the game.
I honestly liked New Leaf. It has some mini games within the 3DS and Wii items. It was tons better than City Folk too, fuck that game so much. The Wiimote ruined a lot of the fun.
Also, I bought some extremely cheap programmable NFC chips that are the same type as Amiibo and had a blast programming villager cards. Saved myself a lot of money. Also I was able to program Japan exclusive amiibo chips.
I honestly liked New Leaf. It has some mini games within the 3DS and Wii items. It was tons better than City Folk too, fuck that game so much. The Wiimote ruined a lot of the fun.
Also, I bought some extremely cheap programmable NFC chips that are the same type as Amiibo and had a blast programming villager cards. Saved myself a lot of money. Also I was able to program Japan exclusive amiibo chips.
File: 1545951649878.jpg (10.39 KB, 296x158, 1440059268404.jpg)
Nintendo pisses me off, but what's worse is they would suffer the same fate as many old companies if it wasn't for their brainwashed fanbase. Looking at the video game general in OT, you can see how many ass kissers Nintendo has. They legit release the same Mario games over and over, with Princess Zelda being kidnapped and Bowser being the badguy and people still buy it.
They purposely held back on making more amiibos to sell them selectively to fans and make more money. They only allowed certain gamestops and other shops a small amount of their shit and act confused when supply and demand come into play. They could easily re-release 30 yr old games and people would buy them.
Nintendo is a really bad company with terrible tactics and I refuse to support them.
They had a great IP with Metroid and Samus and shat all over it. And Zelda will never be the main character of her own game. Ever. lol
File: 1545952551683.jpg (59.69 KB, 640x480, med_1474015485_image.jpg)
>>344558>And Zelda will never be the main character of her own game. Ever. lol
I mean, she was in this game lmao.
But yeah Nintendo has been dropping the ball hard on just about all their games. I got Mario Odyssey a while back but haven't even opened it and am just thinking of selling it because I have a feeling it's mediocre as hell.
I heard so many nintendofags giving oddessy 10/10. They did the same for Breath of the Wild and they turned out so mediocre. I mean, Ganon was a freakin smoke monster??
and the weapon's durability was shit.
File: 1545955668512.jpg (32.24 KB, 450x422, 1538858594174.jpg)
>>344558>And Zelda will never be the main character of her own game. Ever. lol
who gives a shit about this?
File: 1545956218438.jpg (473.17 KB, 1536x2100, IMG_3256.JPG)
>>344558>They could easily re-release 30 yr old games and people would buy them.
This keeps happening already. Bought a classic game on Wii Virtual Console? Too bad they dropped support for it, but you can rebuy access to it through a monthly subscription to their video game streaming service on the Switch (but not actually own it lol). Oh wait, they're planning to drop support for that, but you can sign up for their new Steam knock off they're planning and buy it again.
It's ridiculous how they're selling people the same 30 year old games like four times now. It's even more ridiculous that it's working.
File: 1545961450659.jpg (73.99 KB, 1280x720, disgustang.jpg)
i hope to hell this isn't unpopular but this makeup is fucking ugly and shitty. i don't like this guy either, he tries too hard and it's cringy.
I just don't think it's worth to spend 1h+ everyday cleaning stuff and becoming aggravated when others don't clean up to your standards.
Life is short and a lot of cleaning products are actually harmful to the air and human skin.
nta, but of course it makes you a fucking snowflake. even people who believe in god or evolution or anything, understand we have no real meaning. that's why religion exists in the first place.
why does anything have to have meaning?
>>344603>"just got beat up in an alleyway for not sucking a homeless man's dick"
also is it just me or does the gloss on his lips looks like it's just drawn on in photoshop?
Why do you feel so triggered
by that? I mentioned it's only "some", not all women.
I don't think mentioning that 1h+ of cleaning everyday is too much makes me sound like an idiot. You can still do you if that makes you happy anon.
>>344612>complains about other people doing something that doesn't affect them>people can do it if it makes them happy!
NTA but you do kind of sound stupid. more to the point you sound like you're bitter that other people clean better than you and that you may be judged against them.
it's extremely easy to just clean up your messes and have a nice house and toss clutter in storage boxes, and it takes like 30 minutes to take care of it.
>>344616>clean better than you
I don't care about that>it's extremely easy to just clean up your messes and(…)it takes like 30 minutes to take care of it
Nor that. I don't have a clutter problem anon.
I'm specifically talking about people that spend hours cleaning things that are already clean, positioning things so that they are milimetrically in place, clean other people's areas without being asked, and overall make cleaning about the time spent and not about quick results like a sane person.
If someone values cleaning so much it causes conflicts with other people, or doesn't even phantom sharing her living space because things won't be exactly like she wants them to be, I think it's a sign something might be wrong.
either you're shitting on mentally ill people, or you think that regular cleaning is excessive.
>>344321>Darwin was wrong about evolution
Please don't be a retard anon
Darwin was wrong about a shit tonne of things the theory of evolution is not solely based off of origin of species its built upon decades of observable evidence. No one takes Darwin as the bastion of truth of evolution he's legit just a starting piece. Gregor Mendel did more shit then him and Darwins brother founded the field of eugenics. Scientific theories aren't just thought up of out of no where they have to be tested and evidence must be thoroughly scrutinized a scientific theory isn't the same as the art definition. >>344485>There's just not enough evidence
Yes there is, you just haven't done enough research.
You seem hell bent on creationism retardation which is more damaging then evolution ultimately down the line. Creationist/christian theory has more false hope and blatant lies to peoples existential crises then scientific shit ever could.
However if your hell bent on it no one can stop you its your right to latch on to a self denigrating ideology if you find comfort in it.
There's unlimited beauty in science though you should try looking into some of it, it gives me more hope then self hating creationist bullshit designed to indoctrinate.
You don't "believe in evolution" no one does its as stupid as saying you don't "believe in gravity" it just exists as a natural force like electromagnetism, your lack of belief in it doesn't mean it ceases to exist.
However I do think the edgy atheist crowd like Richard Dawkins is damaging to relations with religious folk.
Molecular scale observable changes occur due to changes in allele frequencies. Evolution occurs every time reproduction occurs artificial selection is something used everyday to make clothing, food and drugs.
Viruses and bacteria undergo evolution constantly so if you get flu shots seasonally or take antibiotics your doing so in retaliation to evolutionary forces.
How is creationism damaging? I don’t know if the Christian viewpoint is correct, but they seem to be the only ones in the modern day offering an alternative. All creation stories across different cultures throughout history are essentially all the same why is this? Maybe we’re just not that creative.
Microevolution & natural selection are real. I’m not throwing out the baby with the bath water here I just don’t think humans came from monkeys that were lizards that were fish that were bacteria that were rocks anymore. >>344637
I suppose so. I’d just like to think there is a god or gods or some kind of supreme creator now and that I was specifically made for a reason. I have always had friends, family, hobbies, significant others etc that made me happy, but I always felt that pit of despair in me like none of this even matters might as well just neck while I’m ahead.
>>344642>I just don’t think humans came from monkeys that were lizards that were fish that were bacteria that were rocks anymore.
It doesn’t seem like you ever took the time to really fully understand evolution.
Also, I’m wondering if you think the fossil record is all faked and that paleontology is a sham.
Read half the posts in this and all the other unpopular opinions threads, in the confession threads, in the vent threads, and the rest of /ot/ (or /g/) and tell me that's not at least halfway true.
Some of the shit posted here is screencap-worthy. You can't deny it.
Nta but tbh, it sounds like wishful thinking to me. "uwu most of the anons (like me) are really pretty, just crazy~ teehee"
I didn't say "like me" until anon claimed I tried to exclude myself, either.
You can continue LARPing that all users here are cave hags, but I doubt it, and the selfposts I've seen bolster that doubt. That's all.
NTA but>vent thread posts are 90% struggles with mental illness >posts all over LC about how anons are going to kill themselves over having small tits or their boyfriend being stupid>no one is crazy here teehee
sounds like ur in denial bud
the anti-""cringe culture"" thing that's been going around legit feels so extremely forced and blatant moral faggotry. the anti-harassment aspect of it, i can understand, but sperging out and going "HURR U DONT LIKE FUN? WHAT WRONG WITH U?" just because you sneered at some kid's bad discord roleplay or tarded delusional otherkin shit is honestly the most forced thing to come out of internet moral "holier than thou" mentalities, and acting like discord raiding autism cesspools will be a traumatizing experience to the ""victims"" is huge mental gymnastics, since majority of the time, they seriously just grow out of it and forget it, or look back on it and chuckle about it, or they have autist self awareness and shrug it off anyways
i understand the "no being a dick to children" aspect, because what's the fun in making fun of a young artists or writers in the first place, but making fun of people embarrassing themselves in public discords, areas, whatever, and just in general being an annoyance to others, or simply saying you're not a fan of X suddenly has this new craze of moral crusading screeching at you and thinking they're witty for posting the "NO HAVING FUN" image.
i'm saying most anons are fugly.
anon who's claiming she's some kind of mentally fractured princess is probably just an average fugly weeb. we don't have a selfpost thread anyway so she seems a bit daft either way.
Just because you're an ugly bat doesn't mean we all are, friend. See >>344688
You literally claimed saying as much is "excluding" oneself, then backpedaled when you realized you were just projecting. Seems kind of retarded.
>>344688>be an obese hag while criticizing stick thin girls for being fat and having nasolabial folds
I'm really sick of seeing anons accuse fatties being behind all the hateful, negative comments about weight on this website.
It makes zero sense. It would be like insulting themselves twofold.
Unpopular opinion: Ana girls and girls who are average yet insecure are the ones making the most and worst comments about bodies yet it's easier to make up a fat boogeyman caricature to shift blame on. It's fucking absurd, and if this website has proven anything to me about lolcows and their behavior, it's that pretty and thin people can be absolute cunts.
NTA, but anon is literally saying it's the pretty/thin girls behind such comments. First this autism >>344678
>>344692, now this. Why are farmers' reading comprehension so poor lately?
Because for someone who tries to play cool you're being awful aggressive over something that isn't even important. And when explained why it's not my "reading comprehension," you double down.
I hope you're just autistic and not this annoying naturally.
>>344882>tries to get the last word ironically
Hold on there ma'am, I'll be taking that
Why is it even a problem that the rant was unrelated?
Do the holidays make everyone this uptight?
I often start (or continue) useless arguments and discussions here and on 4chan just for fun.
Sometimes, I wonder if I'm actually emotionally rattling sperg-tier anons, or if they're doing the same thing and we're all bored.
With the way the arguments go on for the sake of arguing, I think you just have a lust for it.
Half of the time your ilk isn't funny.
I remember trolling actually being entertaining, not a blurring of lines where I can't tell which anons actually have autism.
I mean, you're either the samefagging autist or the person who earlier confessed to picking up random arguments to be a stand in for the spergs.
Pick your poison? You're a riot girl.
File: 1546026524414.jpg (29.24 KB, 640x640, cat.jpg)
Or any of the other posters ITT, or a lurker who chimed in? Just a thought. You really do think it's just three people on /ot/. It's worse than I thought.
You're very altruistic for jumping in to defend a sped's honor so fervently and for so long, even after they appear to have left. Kudos for your resolve.
Me? In just level grinding in an MMO and trying to see if you take the hint.
I think you've posted many things.
And reading comprehension? I said I was leveling, not arguing. Gosh~!
Okay, then go ahead and list all my posts. This should be good.>And reading comprehension? I said I was leveling, not arguing.
Seems like you're doing both. >Gosh~!>~!
Cringe. Figures you'd be a troon, too.
File: 1546027144180.jpg (106.17 KB, 1000x847, 1543462111771.jpg)
omg this holiday triggering is amazing. ty anons keep getting angry, cheers
Woah, wait, since when's ~! troon signaling?
Is the "YOU'RE A TROON" argument coming next? Why anon, and here I thought "IM NOT THE SAME ANONS" was your final form.
File: 1546027315041.png (280.92 KB, 640x480, naz.png)
Who actually uses tildes and exclamation marks besides men trying to look as flamboyant or effeminate online as possible?
I'm still waiting to see all my posts laid out, by the way. Did you renege on that, or?
nah fam, posted >>344890>>344936
File: 1546027417205.jpg (14.61 KB, 250x242, 1521951156073.jpg)
NTA but I posted that Pepe. Here's another
File: 1546027577275.jpg (5.75 KB, 250x249, 1511736712676.jpg)
This is an anti-weeb American-only board
People on this website do. Ever visit the Sh0e thread? People do ~*~uwu~*~ all the time.
Kinda sad that it appears you don't know anything about the board culture here, and you only know superficial things like hating troons. It's like all you do is set up arguments and pretend to be different people. >Why aren't you quoting all my posts
Never agreed to expend that effort.
your post is triggering
me because someone on crystal.cafe used this reaction image.
Sarcastic uwuposting to mock Shuwu isn't the same as your embarrassing, passive aggressive sperging. Is "MUH BOARD CULTURE IM AN OLDFAG" your argument now that your "EVRY1 WHO DISAGREES W/ ME IS A SAMEFAG" argument is falling flat? >Never agreed to expend that effort.
So, you can't do it? Thanks for admitting it.
File: 1546027880856.gif (1.08 MB, 180x240, 677b0849-2b84-4515-aac8-624a61…)
None of you are funny and you should all be ashamed of your autism
Why is it that every time lc is active it's because of bullshit?
lol thats pretty good anon
unrelated but as much as i love vidya, i personally think first person exploration games are boring af
>>344948>oldfag and samefag arguments fall flat
Better than accusing anons of being troons for using a tilde, or having bad reading comprehension because they quoted your post to agree with you and then state a separate opinion. >inb4 samefag
And you better not respond with more autism after having your reaction pic shitfit.
You're still dragging this out after everyone's agreed this should end? You really are autistic. >inb4 "everyone is a samefag hurr" again
I "better not" or else what? You'll screech some more?
You never quoted my post to agree with me, you just freaked out at a Wojak picture. Much like you're freaking out now.
Now let the thread get back on topic, shithead.
>>344990>or else what
Or else you'll look like an even more butthurt faggot screeching about how people should stop posting after you've thoroughly shit up the thread. You can't resist.
Being an argumentative brat is in your blood.
That's what you refuse to do with garbage posts like >>344993
. You're as much of an argumentative brat. Go back to MMO grinding and reeee in there, no one wants to read your BS.
File: 1546032315817.gif (543.4 KB, 500x500, tumblr_ox1tt9VFw31vviqkjo1_500…)
Before the whole 'No porn' movement, I actually didn't mind Tumblr. I didn't get on it NEARLY as much as I used to back in the day but it was a nice place to go to talk about fandom stuff. I always stirred clear from the SJW types or the overly preachy fangirls so my dash was always nice. But now that anything slightly porn related is banned, I already know there's no point in me even going back. Plus they deleted my second blog, which I frequented and I'm pretty sure they have 0 intention of giving it back.
>>345016>but mod are still good about sending people away for time outs
Just to play devil's advocate: Most people in meta complain that they're actually not very good at this.
It does seem arbitrary and ridiculous that common infighting/nitpicking can incite a ban within an hour yet there are some days where gore, pedo porn, and general male raiding goes unaddressed for hours if not entire days.
It doesn't mean the website is spiraling downward into being unusable, it's just an annoyance.
File: 1546049291579.jpg (61.41 KB, 287x280, Barky-Airedale-Page1c1.jpg)
>Women are better than men due to their gentle natures.
>I say as I shittalk a woman who is generically average in her looks, while I look like a buttery golem.
No, most women are definitely NOT hypersexual. Up until birth control, sex for a woman had grave consequences (injury, unwanted pregnancies, diseases or death). Sex was forced and expected from women. Access to sex was considered a man's "right".
Still today, woman are told to be sexual so that men may fuck them. All of femininity is molded and shaped by men's sexual desires and desire to control.
Why would I identify with any of it, let alone anything that the patriarchy is encouraging and building?
In almost all cases of sex, it either leads to unwanted trauma, pregnancies or women being ambivalent towards it all. When most heterosexual women can't even cum in long term committed relationships and it's just accepted, I refuse to believe that all women just LOVE sex.
i wouldn't say it's their gentle nature as there are plenty of bitchy and mean women out there
it's more like being more pacific and less violent than men
Sure, I'll give you that piv was and still is terrifyingly risky and dangerous for women without rights or contraception, but are you saying that no woman ever felt horny despite it being a dumb idea? Because even in modern day tindr is fucking gross but we still wade through it for some d
Also sexuality isn't always about piv, it's literally documented both genders of kids masturbate from early ages, it's only upbringing and social influences that changes it. Gay people can be slutty too.
Yes there is stuff to be said about how trends of empowerment and sexual performance, both feminine and masculine, pressure people to change their attitudes to sex but don't try and tell me that the patriarchy is brainwashing me or my friends with making us think we orgasms because you think it's not possible I just might genuinely like it. You're also side stepping a bunch of causation in how women end up faking orgasms as if you can say none of them would like to have functional, enthusiastic sex lives that fulfilled them if given the opportunity. You are also detracting from women that are willingly hypersexual even though they don't orgasm for other reasons, because not every body cares about the same thing.
At the end of the day, nobody should care if you personally hate sex and don't do it yourself, but invalidating or belittling other people's choices to have sex for whatever reason is small minded.
im gonna say it lolcow, prepare your sensibilities:
sex is amazing. i love having sex with my boyfriend and most unbelievable as it is, im not a instathot, snapchat whore or hooker. sex is great
you're entitled to your opinion
still gross tho
File: 1546058391767.jpeg (10.46 KB, 224x224, 1531844643563.jpeg)
GO BACK TO YOUR CONTAINMENT THREAD
No one gives a fuck that YOU personally enjoy sex.
I was talking about how men have used sex and control of our reproductive capabilities to do what they want and promote even MORE sex and MORE pregnancies upon millions of other women that don't get to choose whether they ~enjoy~ sex or not. That has nothing to do whether some fraction of privileged women enjoy sex with their partners.
You choice feminists make me sick. You'll tow the lines for fun-feminism and feel good about it, but when it involves feminism that involves discussions about YOUR Nigels and YOUR relationships?
~not my feminism anymore~
okay? i see your point and i agree. i just said>it's okay if someone's not interested in sexual stuff but it's disappointing to see women judging sexually active women like straight men do on a daily basis>>345221
i'm living in the middle east anon..
I don't really care if women are upset that I'm challenging their views on relationships and sex. Maybe they need to be challenged and critically think about how their relationships with men affect other women and society?
It's almost as if that once radical feminism starts affecting your personal choices (ie being in heterosexual relationships, relationships with men in general) it's ok to stop avocating for the liberation of women…because you enjoy sex lol. Even though participating in these relationships has direct impacts on other women and feminism.
The hilarious thing about this is that I'm straight. I'm not this boogeyman lesbian that you're all talking about. I understand that my CHOICES surrounding men and sex have direct impacts on feminism and society at large, but why can't you guys? Like, you'll only be an advocate for something until it directly affects your life choices, and then it's just impossible to talk about?(USER HAS BEEN PUT OUT TO PASTURE)
Agreed.>>345216>That has nothing to do whether some fraction of privileged women enjoy sex with their partners.most
women would probably enjoy sex on their own terms. It's how our bodies work. The problem isn't with sexuality but the way men use it to control women. It doesn't say anything about the innate moral value of sex. If you don't like it, that's perfectly fine but framing it in these terms is close minded.
Tonight I learned that the fact that I want to put my fingers up a guy's butthole is ruining lives. Thanks, farmers.>>345243
Embarrassing that they just came out and said it, but do you not get turned on looking at people you're attracted to? I've always gotten physically aroused (since puberty) even looking at images of people I'm into.
File: 1546061633633.png (171.48 KB, 302x300, ohohohohoho.png)
have fun being "sexually liberated", aka wasting your time trying to please a man who probably would lack any empathy if it wasn't for you giving up your pussy then.
independency from men is far superior to needing to get dicked down and relying on any male.
what if i like to fuck and get a lot out of it? does that not exist to you?
abstinence won't make women happy either nor will it liberate them
Some men are less perverted than others but it seems like the 'Would I fuck her or not?' assessment is like a standard thing they do when they meet/see a woman. >>345248
I have found men handsome but in the same way I find women beautiful. It sounds really stereotypical but I don't develop sexual attraction until there has been some kind of positive romantic encounter/chemistry, and even then I never seem to be as sex focused as the man. The idea of being turned on by an actor or celebrity is foreign to me.
File: 1546062192152.jpg (19.45 KB, 567x440, IMG_20180405_032836.jpg)
Not everyone who disagrees with you is a ~sex posi libfem~ you're just verging on the point of control freakery when you condemn women for the crime of - gasp - enjoying sex. Reminds me of another group of people who get mentioned a lot in these conversations…
lots of incel anti-sex radical feminists think all sex with men is him assaulting a woman and then rolling over to go to sleep anyway. they firmly believe men like to eat pussy for starters.>>345262
then if you don't get horny don't speak on behalf of other women as if you're the standard.
File: 1546063166106.png (77.22 KB, 675x864, IMG_3771.PNG)
>>345221>sick and tired of western libfems thinking women are sexually liberated because they get to choose.
stop spamming this thread "lol"
learn how to sage "lol"
Not related to memes, but to male and female comedians - as with everything, there are always a lot of 'bad' guys and the 'good' ones are just a few.
However, there are some themes that crop up in 'good' male comedian humor that I'm sick to death of. Like the endless sex jokes, piss humor, the sometimes needless vulgarity, "marriage is so hard" jokes, and the list goes on.
I especially hate it when some out of shape, middle-aged guy with nothing exceptionable about him tries to shill himself as an "offensive & controversial!1!" comedian that's some kind of innovative genius for taking the piss out of gays or women, and then millions of neckbeards flocking to his defence when you point it out.
I don't think there is a "funnier" gender, but if there was, I'm even less inclined to believe it should be men.
>>345290>not all wimmin get to choose so let's insult all the pribileged wommyn who get to choose
Are you even thinking about the things you say? Getting to choose when and who to fuck is the ideal. >>345294
I agree. I actually think more feminists should prioritize their well being when they're clearly mentally ill and engaging in radical feminism isn't helping them at all. They just wind up saying the dumbest shit. It makes me cringe.
File: 1546065911908.jpg (69.91 KB, 470x470, 1545094360009.jpg)
you're so fucking dumb LMAOOO
nta but you should consider one yourself sweaty. you are tho, love, despite your efforts to believe so. its simple. those who enjoy sex do, those who dont, dont.
forcing politics in it is your own choice.
File: 1546066104954.png (463.9 KB, 436x537, ick.png)
im the anon that started this anti-sex bs and even i find your comment cringy. stop using twitter libfem "yassss drag herrrr" lingo
File: 1546066216246.jpeg (17.31 KB, 275x189, 1532647811555.jpeg)
omg yas sweaty!!! let her know(emoji)
>>345318>its simple. those who enjoy sex do, those who dont, dont.
And I never said that people should only
enjoy sex. People can do whatever they're comfortable with. Stop strawmanning.
File: 1546066308031.png (134.69 KB, 400x400, pikawho.png)
what? are you retarded anon?
My ex would drag me to every fucking Marvel movie. It was irritating how he would fawn over those overproduced heaps and get miffed when I wasn't thrilled to have another date centered around watching one of them.
The plots always had holes that I wasn't supposed to 'think too hard' about, or that I should've read obscure source material to fill in the blanks even though the 2hr movie is supposed to be telling a coherent fucking story.
The characters are always peddled too hard to be likable or relatable, like corporate-created robots that the movie demands the audience must love. Also for some reason arrogant douches and selfish asshole 'heroes' are rewarded immensely in these universes.
The fight scenes are retarded, contrived, and too long.
I could go on but yeah, definitely agree there.
Modern mainstream comedy is a pulpit for PC horseshit. Idk where your straw man is coming from but it's far from what's being shat out from the top.>>345309
Please go back to your containment website.
I guess my unpopular opinion of >>345180
was the most unpopular, because even though people carried on arguing with each others opinions about sex for 20 posts nobody cared to even sperg at mine
I don't think my opinions are particularly great, but I think didn't think they were really less interesting than just posting a meme
Be glad you aren't with him anymore. Men who obsess over comics are the worst, especially now a days. And comics in general are a trash culture. I used to be super big into the Batman comics and you get invested in a character or arc, only to have it retconned since there's 10,000 different writers and artists working on the same story at any given time.
I tried to follow tim drake's robin and had to buy from three-four different comic arcs to fill in just one. It became too much of a confusing money grab.
Superhero shit is so boring. And men who are into comics get super pissy with women for some reason. One of my friends was into comics and every time she took me with her to pick up a volume she needed, the douchebag clerks would talk down to us like we were retarded animals and some of them even got angry that we were browsing inside. This happened at multiple shops. Fuck comic book nerds, but especially the disgusting men.>>345325
Hello, anon! I hope you're doing well! You don't know me, but I recognize you from your pikawho reaction image lol.
Nerd boys in general tend to have this behavior. "Oh why can't I find a girl that likes nerd stuff?", and then when a girl actually likes, they go all "oh yeah?? Then list all the first 151 pokémons, and say the name of the uncle of Marvel's creator or you're a poser trying to get attention!!!"
Nerds like this deserve to not find a cool girlfriend
>mfw a guy really asked me the pokémons names to see if I really liked it
This. I actually do enjoy cape shit but 90% of it is quick-buck trash. Infinity War is the worst. Everyone says it's the best Marvel film but how - Marvel's cinematic division is fucked thinking I'm going to enjoy something when we all know which "dead" superheroes aren't actully dead because we know the next title characters with films coming out.
Infinity War was a cop-out but capefags are so up their ass with Disney and the MCU that they won't admit it.
That's too spot on anon.
Adding to that, just complaining that tranies are ugly is beyond infantile, the problem is not if they pass or not it's about the danger they pose the rights of real women by denying biology and eroding female spaces.
tbh in my heart I agree with you ladies but have forced myself to accept body hair and now have a fetish for it. Only on non-pale guys though, white and Asian men looks best smooth.
And agree that old men just aren't as attractive as young ones. Big meme.
I’m not talking about normie handmaidens. I’m talking about anons who think they’re being woke and radical while just flexing their radfem cred to feel better than other women.
Pre-manhate thread lolcow>what a dirty disgusting slut she’s going to get so many STDs and she’s fat so men don’t even want her that’s so pathetic
post manhate thread on lolcow >what a dirty disgusting libfem slut she’s going to get so many STDs and she’s fat and pandering to men sho don’t even want her how pathetic
And the anons flexing this cred often aren’t even lesbians, like the anon upthread, but they’re given lesbians a bad name on this site. I just hate seeing radical feminism used as just another tool to throw meaninglessly at cows.
This society that allows PIV sex to happen. SMH
When we all stand together in rejecting all PIV sex, we'll be able to eradicate the jew-ahem, I mean the patriarchy.
File: 1546135133573.gif (6.88 MB, 350x303, giphy (2) copy.gif)
the nanami newfag who's been infecting this board is a flaming faggot
Agreed. I'm radfem and these anons are beginning to annoy even me. You can tell that they don't put a lot of thought into feminist critique, lack fundamental understanding of certain concepts, and use it as an excuse to be overly self-righteous towards other women and pick mes. Even worse when it's obvious they're neglecting their mental. The manhate thread was cool for awhile but a lot of the regulars let the opinions of men affect them too much and it's depressing, I rarely look at it now. At least the GC thread is still decent, but you can't expect too much from an imageboard.
Tbh I prefer engaging with the radfem community on Twitter, where there is a lot more down-to-earth discussion.
sorry phone autocorrected.
my point still stands though, there's no need to compare two different things. anons posting unironically about hurting anyone is fucked. it's as fucked as when incels post about hurting women on their shit boards.
this is basically like saying if an anon said she beat up her bf it's not disturbing because men murder.
you brought it up retard. >>345854
the point is those aren't are users, whether or not it's disturbing has nothing to do with our board.
I wasn't the anon you were replying to, retard.
>the point is those aren't are users, whether or not it's disturbing has nothing to do with our board.
what the fuck are you even talking about?
I like it when people bring their pets to venues. Even moreso when they allow people to pet them. It's cute. I get that some people might be allergic, but technically, having your allergies triggered is a risk you stand whenever you leave the house. Take your medication. If it's to a point where an animal can kill you just by existing in your peripheral vision, rethink going to random public/commnal places for extended periods of time solely for leisure, and consider hanging out at places where pets are explicitly, clearly stated to not be allowed (or the homes of pet-free friends).
It's a bit more iffy when people bring dogs into restaurants for sanitation reasons, but I personally don't see that happen often enough to be pressed about it. As long as the dog is small, trained (or at least docile), clean, not up at a table and not so hairy its fur is flying everywhere, I still don't think it's a big deal. I know there are some dog hate anons in particular, so I'm ready to get yelled at, lmao.
>>345922>I like it when people bring their pets to venues. Even moreso when they allow people to pet them. Solely because I find it cute.
vs.>rethink going to random public/commnal places for extended periods of time solely for leisure
Normal people being able to go wherever they want to, even if it's "just" for leisure, and not having to fear for their health/life is more important then people bringing their pets literally everywhere (they already do, nowadays you seldomly come across places there pets aren't allowed) just because you happen to find it cute.
Humans shouldn't be restricted from any places just so that pets can go there instead. What would you suggest? Be born with an allergy -> stay the fuck home? Ridiculously childish.
Allergies exist, and like it or not, it's up to the person to plan ahead. People need to take responsibility for their health and self-protection instead of blaming people who have nothing to do with them for it.
This is like the news story of those people who were allergic to peanuts being on a plane, and there unironically being discourse about banning peanuts. Might as well ban certain fabrics, drinks, fruits, vegetables (and all foods), soaps, sanitizers, etc to prevent allergic reactions.
>>345951>What would you suggest?
You quoted my suggestions already, kek:>rethink going to random public/commnal places for extended periods of time solely for leisure, and consider hanging out at places where pets are explicitly, clearly stated to not be allowed (or the homes of pet-free friends).
This is not unreasonable.
It's childish that you tried to use a "SO WE SHOULD STAY HOME?!?!?" strawman to justify choosing not to be responsible.
I'm not saying it's unreasonable to not want something, I'm saying it's unreasonable to make your health complete strangers' responsibility and get buttblasted because some random wasn't making their life choices on the off chance that someone they don't know will be affected, as I said here >>345965
Think ahead, plan accordingly, work around your issues in life. If it's so serious you might die, take responsibility.
Look, I agree with you (and I’m a “dog mom”) but unfortunately for people who are allergic or who dislike dogs, it’s just part of the culture of some cities in Europe. Where I live, it’s normal to bring dogs or babies pretty much anywhere you go.
Honestly, it pisses me off when people bring dogs to places where they aren’t allowed. It’s rude and inconsiderate. I love dogs and I love bringing my dog places, but people deserve animal-free places. A supermarket is no place for your ugly Chinese crested dog kek.
>>345957>wait for train, nobody else there yet>three older ladies arive with their dog, somehow have to stand right next to me>they have a stroller with them; it's for the dog>dog constantly whines, despite all three of them cooing over it>they talk about having bought it a tibetian cashmir pullover, which is sooo soft and amazing and totally worth the money>train arrives, they step in, surpire, surprise, their "baby" is even allowed to sit on one of the seats
And no, it wasn't a small lap dog.
I also work at a grocery store. Many parents leave their kids to play at the front while they're shopping. Never a problem. Yet yesterday again a fur mommy had to stop shopping two times to run outside quickly to console her barking baby kek. A real kid probably takes up less of your time and patience.
I wonder if these are women who've never had any children to begin with or if they just can't deal with their kids growing up and no longer needing them.
>>345982>it’s normal to bring dogs or babies
Anon, there's a huge difference between those two, don't lump them together…
Nobody is allergic of babies or scared of randomly being jumped and scratched or bitten by them.
But many adults don’t want to be around babies at adult-oriented places, e.g. bars or wineries. Even a lot of parents get frustrated if they go somewhere to get away from their own kids and someone else’s kids are there. So, I’d say it’s a pretty fair comparison.
It’s just as annoying for me if someone’s dog is acting up as it is if someone’s kid is misbehaving and they do nothing or if someone’s baby is crying and they think it’s perfectly fine to let it “cry it out” in an enclosed public space.
I'm the anon who said that about allergyfags. You're literally getting pissy at anons who aren't even me, you salty seaweed, lmao. I don't mind babies, either, FWIW.
If you want to stop seeing dogs everywhere because of your feelings, maybe practice what you preach and be considerate to those who don't like kids. Or don't, and continue complaining and being upset.
Where did I say that?>>345859
Again, where did I say that? I don't condone violence either.>you're no better then the scrots who posted that abhorrent shit.
Explain. Because this just sounds like projection and pathetic virtue signaling on your part.>>345876
Thank you. But apparently if you don't think they are exactly the same it means you condone one of them according to certain idiots here.
don't even bother with her anon, she knows her post was the same as what men do in this situation.
>anons do x>but men do something worse
these things are not comparable. no need to have evrn mentioned what men are doing when the convo was about our users and what they say.
File: 1546189615302.gif (909.6 KB, 320x180, JPFB0247.gif)
All this activity in the thread and it's just fighting. I'm so disappointed.
Not to be a dick, but is this really an unpopular opinion? I thought most people blamed the owners for an animal misbehaving.
My animal related unpopular opinion is I hate doodles and other designer “breeds” that are just overpriced mutts with cutesy names.
Not unpopular, literally everyone's thought process whenever Tiger or Fido does something fucked up.
My unpopular opinion is that some animals are just dicks either due to personality or genetics and no amount of good ownership does them any good.
File: 1546210140808.jpg (762.02 KB, 4032x3024, qtFlEpN.jpg)
I think in most relationships the power balance leans more towards women, seeing from all the couples I have met before. I'm not taking in account the abusive ones tho. Imo it's true for most countries, live in a shitty hole and all the bfs and husbands I know do everything for their gfs and wives, they usually have the last word and take care of the money. as well. My unpopular opinion is anons in the men hate thread take it a little too far saying men don't care about women and do nothing for us and etc. since it's not true at all. I'd say it's the opposite, they literally can't live without us and most men are obedient
From my experience the optimal is early 20s fresh out college. At least 4 years younger than me.
Mine is 8 years younger and was still in college, but it worked out in the end. >where do you even find younger guys?
I found mine in real life, but they're everywhere. I feel like finding men who are single and my age is much harder than finding younger men who are single. Most older men have gotten married etc
File: 1546228199431.png (259.05 KB, 1000x861, 1546211112223.png)
Bullying, especially primary school bullying, is best solved by violence. My Dad taught me at a young age how to crack people behind the legs with a bat in order to incapacitate them. I applied it at school the few times people tried things and it stopped right away. The kids that talked to parents and the school still got bullied regardless. I'll be teaching the same lesson to my children as it's a proven technique.
People's ethics is for the most part determined by their capacity for empathy, the study of ethics is only useful for those that already possess this faculty. The ones without empathy are 'reprobates' and should be either removed from society or severely limited in their autonomy.
Men being taught to be 'nice people' in order to attract women makes men chronically lazy. Almost every childhood movie and show had the hero end up with the love of his life simply as a by product of him existing, and this leads young boys to think that the same thing will inevitably happen to them. If men are taught about attracting women in ways that actually align with reality, it should lead them to be more motivated in life and end the 'nice guy' entitlement that ends up in so many cringe threads.
Women have held power throughout history in many instances and I feel this is downplayed by a narrative from both the feminists and edgelord men, the narrative being that men have historically held most of the power. Upper class ladies all throughout history have exerted 'soft' power and many of the oriental despots were headed and controlled by Machiavellian, Empress dowagers, the Ottomans and China had extensive periods of female political domination.
Children's entertainment needs serious regulation, as media is perhaps the single biggest cause of weird sexual fetishes. My fringe fetish was definitely induced by a movie I watched when I was 3 and is now an inexorable part of my sexuality.
Postmodern, Feminist and Marxist philosophy and literary theory are unjustly hated. There is an overabundance of charlatans in the humanities, and the hatred should be directed there. These literary perspectives are perfectly valid, and no amount of Peterson will change this.
A lot of people in academia are too reliant on certain literary perspectives (not so much Marxism, not since the 1960s at least). It's a problem when people are analyzing, Paradise Lost for example, specifically from a feminist lens. They're missing the glory that is Milton's theology and the beauty of the poem, instead focusing on a few lines on Eve's position below Adam (time would've been better spent criticizing the source material, Genesis).
File: 1546229418432.png (83.12 KB, 1280x624, sonic_vore_yay_by_snapshot64-d…)
>My fringe fetish was definitely induced by a movie I watched when I was 3 and is now an inexorable part of my sexuality.
Me too! Do you think the old lady who swallowed a fly sparked the influx of vore fetishes?
File: 1546229743631.png (258.38 KB, 720x416, vlcsnap-2015-02-09-23h16m58s5.…)
>>346618>tfw same fetish
I've never listened to that nursery rhyme, but what done it in for me was being left in front of the TV with a 'honey I shrunk the kids' VCR.
It's the same story on many forums and websites, and with many I've discussed this fetish with. One german I knew developed her fascination through their messed up fairy tales involving vore, so it seems to not take much.
Holy shit. I didn’t expect to hear about anyone on here having a vore fetish too. Mine was developed from watching nature documentaries though. I don’t really get turned on by that stuff anymore though.
Honestly, I’ve had similar thoughts to the original post that media can really corrupt children in that manner. If I ever have kids, the ideal scenario would be that they don’t ever get exposed to that stuff as well as the Internet until they’re a bit older.
tbh I don't really care that much about radical feminism and just like to make fun of trannies because they are ugly and cringey and the potential danger to women they pose tends to come second.
I wish it were possible to make fun of them without being told "blahblahblah take it to Gender Crit"
>>346610>Bullying, especially primary school bullying, is best solved by violence.
idk know if that's the BEST solution but it actually works. Kids don't give a fuck if they're traumatizing a classmate by insulting them for no good reason, beating them or injuring them, so you might as well beat the shit out of them to defend yourself. I remember being bullied at school because of my looks (which was because of a kind of severe disorder) and my ethnicity and everytime I reported to the teachers that I was being insulted, pushed or beaten they punished me instead for bothering them during their break. They punished me even more and only me when I fought back. They only gave a fuck when some bitch broke a front teeth, which is still visible, and another one punch me so hard in the face that my lips got fucked up and I couldn't eat solid food for over two months. The school's director didn't even want to call an ambulance even though I passed out and I couldn't stop bleeding because he didn't want the bully who knocked me out to get in trouble though.
If something similar happened to me when we were all adults at work I could have called the cops so fast they would have been fired and sent to jail without even noticing. But somehow when your a kid people don't care if you're bullied so you shouldn't care either. Oh, and you're all supposed to make up after all that too. Fuck this shit.
File: 1546247329934.jpeg (191.03 KB, 1200x1197, 8C8271C6-0055-4FBD-B547-C3D595…)
I don't know how unpopular this is, but I'm not mad so this isn't a vent, but I see this all the time soo I'm just going to put this here.
I literally do not understand how girls have such a hard time finding a guy that likes you and just one night stands you? Guys are so easy and desperate, the majority of them try to get into relationships even after a ONS. I'm not even very attractive and this happens to me, so I don't get how women can't get into a relationship lol
Your immediate living and social situation make a huge difference. In terms of meeting men: in school > not in school / public transport and walkable neighborhoods > drive everywhere bc suburban sprawl or rural isolation. You could also have a job where you work alone or work with the same people all day. Your social group can be very closed (meaning your friends aren't meeting new people for you to meet later on) or majority female (and they either don't meet new people themselves or only meet women) or have people paired off young.
I'm not a hermit but I very rarely meet men, I tend to get hit on the most in gas stations lol. Without online dating I'd absolutely be alone and even online dating is iffy.
It's like people are living different lives and have different situations or something…huh, wow.
Also you sound like a gross ho.
It's almost as if those other women you're speaking about don't even get a chance to vent their opinion!
I wonder why that is….
What other website? 99.9% of the internet is dedicated to hating women, there's nothing to celebrate about one of the few places women can talk freely about men and mods and handmaids get joy out of us being silenced.
If mods actually had concerns about the integrity of the thread, they would just delete maleposting. But nope, that's too difficult apparently.
The mods are probably the ones infighting just so they can have an excuse to ban it. You know some triggered
male mod would do it kek
Do we really need dozens of threads just to say that men are dumb and violent though? That's pretty much all it boils down to and it's stating the obvious. I mean I enjoyed posting in it at first but it got really repetitive and circle jerky, and creates a negative feedback loop of scaremongering to some extent. Also what this anon >>347057
said about it attracting incels to the board.
There's a reason why I don't go on male imageboards anymore, and it's because I'd rather not see them REEEEEing.
There's /r/trufemcels and /r/asktrufemcels
They ban men on sight.
Post-Modernism can be leftist, but for the most part leftists (I mean Marxist leftists) are bound by historical materialism and their own narratives of history too much to even contend with Post Modernism. Really, the majority of the leftists that do hold post-modern positions are actually rather reactionary, exclusive or nationalistic in their own right.
The intersectionality, circlejerk crowd that is stereotypically 'post-modern', are for the most part butthurt irrerdentists that are upset that their identity ended up on the losing side of history. They are reactionary and are almost no different to the far right stormfags, the difference being that they hold their left politics and post-modern criticism as a tool to only further their groups position. Really, the reason minority nationalist movements are leftist in the first place is simply because they are reacting against the majority nationalist movements, which are almost universally far right/fascist. This pattern repeats itself across the western world, from the 'woke' black nationalists in the states to the Irish irredentists. If for example, blacks were the majority in the United States, the black nationalists would drop the veil of critical theory and progressive politics and instead have their own version of the blackshirts.
no it's because everyone who participates in that thread is an autist who can't even communicate with each other in a rational manner and then go on to infect the rest of the site with their mental instability.
same thing happened a few years ago when we started having MPA threads, we got an influx of psychotic ana-chans who think anyone who weighs over 80lbs is an obese hamlord who should kill themselves and infected every thread with their insane nitpicking and histrionics. that's why MPA discussions were banned for a long time.
maybe if you guys could stop sperging out at each other and everyone else for 5 seconds you could have your thread back.
They were my guilty-pleasure threads, too. I liked posting overly dramatic bullshit but somehow ended up actually fucking convincing myself all men are secret pedonecrorapists.
Glad it's gone so I can stop radicalizing myself.>>347078
lol imagine a man-hate chan
Indeed especially seeing as it spread to certain other threads on certain boards too, it all seemed a bit staged and a way to blame farmers who, although I do not doubt are a few in there it seems more outside anons. also tinfoil heard a few mods are males/trannies which maybe a reason they want certain threads gone but no evidence just hearsay>>347180
Its just you, although you are correct it was the typical poltard/incel shit flavoured stuff thats been seen before but not locked down when appearing in other threads.>>347184
It just looks like only that thread was locked. The farmhand didn't seem to say anything about man-hate threads being banned, period. Was there an announcement I'm missing?
Can't anons just wait a day or two and make a new one, with a friendly reminder to report racebait from /pol/ scrotes and not to give them the replies they crave?
I think the problem was people did report the racebait shit which is the reason given for it being locked.>>347187
Careful anon you gonna trigger
the scrots larping as farmers and get virtue signaling butthurt replies lol.
Honestly, even racebait-wise, it's some of the tamest shit I've seen on Lolcow in a while. I've read far worse from (what I assume to be) real farmers.
It was one /pol/tard trying to pretend that men who are white dindu nuffin, and anons reasonably pointing out that men, regardless of culture/race, are fucked up and destructive. Then, the /pol/tard started trying to claim non-white women are somehow more dangerous than white men, which was also shut down pretty gracefully, and then the thread was locked. The "infighting" may have been the worse issue IMO, but even that probably falls more under "replying to obvious scrote" than actual infighting. It seemed like everyone but the /pol/tard (who may or may not have been female) was on the same page.
I wonder if this is part of a new, more concentrated effort to do away with racebait on the part of mods/farmhands. I want to believe they're just trying to do things right, and that this wasn't some kind of planned takedown.
I don't think it's fair to lock a thread because a racist invaded a thread. Nobody can stop that happening and the responses were not racist in return.
I guess if they locked the threads because people were responding to the scrot, that's fair enough since we know we're not supposed to. But anons aren't made of stone, if inflammatory opinions (especially if they're pretending to be women) are left up long enough, it's really unlikely everyone is going to happily ignore it forever. Mods have to do their part in deleting unwelcome posters as quickly as possible, instead of just locking the thread. Maybe they really just can't be bothered with that sort of active modding and would rather not have a controversial thread that needs it.
There were numerous reports of racebaiting, infighting, and maleposting.
Man hate isn't a banned topic. We just ask that until we have some more moderators to wait for a new thread due to the influx of robots.
Thats an awfully long winded way of saying you're triggered
You're backtracking isn't helping your argument, its just making you look even more triggered
Nice reddit spacing there samefag.
File: 1546326561115.jpg (8.69 KB, 225x225, download (9).jpg)
The sexual revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for developed economies. Anyone on the right I discuss this with downplays the material conditions that determine social relations, and think a simple return to 'christian values' will solve everything. And everyone else is like "who are you to be involved with what people do in the bedroom, like ummm, it's none of your business".
Declining birthrates, dysgenic selective forces and the increased amount of single parent households. Single parent households have for the most part stabilized, but the dysgenics and declining birthrates are a direct consequence of the sexual revolution.
Without the sexual revolution and birth control we would have a smarter, more intelligent population right now. There would be much less mental illness as more kids would have father figures. Incel and femcel tier hang-ups over sex would be lessened as sex still had consequences.
Ambition is basically being culled from the female gene-pool as they seek meaning in careers, and of the more intelligent women, most are giving birth to autistic, unhealthy children through geriatric births after 40, leading to a further decline in the quality of the population.
>>347310>most are giving birth to autistic,
If you'd ever actually researched it you'd know autism is mostly due to old fathers and age gaps (https://www.autismspeaks.org/science-news/large-study-parent-age-autism-finds-increased-risk-teen-moms
). The real problem is not women having careers or being intelligent, it's that nuclear families are isolated and unsustainable compared to the 'village' support system, and men refuse to 'settle down' until they are old (at which point they throw a tantrum about women being the same age as them, the same illogical nonsense as yours). Most women want children, and most women are denied them by their equals/peers when both halves of a couple are young and healthy, and are forced to date old men and shit out autists.
NTA you were sperging at originally but if it helps you sleep at night when your antipsychotics don't, ok.>>347318
this. it's becoming extremely difficult for young, healthy couples to have kids whether they want them or not because they can hardly afford to live, let alone support children as well. boomers might've paid a couple thousand bucks total for a college degree and a house but that's not the case anymore. my husband and I are college grads in our 20's with decent jobs in IT but the cost of living is so high we can't afford a house or kids.
as a side note, global warming is going to kill us in the next century anyway so what's the point in propagating at this point anyway.
self hating blacks have to be the biggest fucking retards lol
always the first ones to go to white websites about how terrible ALL black people are like theyre not one of them lol
on fucking new years too lol
Smarter, AND more intelligent? Wowee anon, you’ve convinced me. Time to take away sexual freedoms and reproductive control from women
You’re a fucking retard who has contradicted every single point you made in your shitty post. Thank the uptick in disabilities to a fucked economy and old sperm, it has absolutely nothing to do with women having control of their own bodies and fertilities for the first time in history.
>>347333>Thank the uptick in disabilities to a fucked economy and old sperm
Do you have proof of either of those things? How can a bad economy possibly cause birth defects and disabilities? And where do you get that old sperm are causing it and not old eggs? There's Decades of research showing that women obviously become less fertile and more prone took birth problems with age, but what's your source for thinking it's actually sperms fault? A single radfem blog you read once that sites a single obscure study based on 2 trials or something?
>it has absolutely nothing to do with women having control of their own bodies and fertilities for the first time in history.
Then why is it happening right now? You do know they're having fact and plenty of bad economies throughout all of human history before, and men have been having children at older average ages than women for all of human history as well, also without these Modern Problems. So how can you possibly look at the situation and say "no it's definitely not this modern change causing problems, it's things that have happened all the time before now suddenly causing problems they didn't before!"?
1. Younger people can’t afford to have children. And we no longer live in an age where poor people will have many kids to help with labour and hope that some survive,
2. There are many resources out there which have found that is sperm that is most likely to pass on genetic disorders, and old sperm is more likely to cause neurological disorders. Women have always been blamed for any birth defects so before recently no one bothered checking if it could possibly be because sperm
3. I’d much rather have our population controlled through a drop in birth rates rather than diseases or wars like we have in the past, the drop is a good thing as we are overpopulated and once the boomers die off there aren’t enough children to replace them all and the following generations will be able to prosper
Do some research in the future instead of being a misogynist and expecting people to also spoon feed information to you. Won’t bother replying after this as I know you’re the type of person who won’t have their mind changed, and I’d rather not start the new year off arguing with a self-hating woman and/or scrot
Want another hard pill to swallow? Women entering the workforce is responsible for most of our current economic problems.
When you suddenly double the amount of workers in the economy, you cut the value of a worker in half. This is what has allowed corporations to screw over its workers for decades and leads to the current imbalanced economy we have. The rich have grown exponentially richer while normal people's wages have increased at a significantly slower rate. We've gone from women choosing to work to now it basically being mandatory for a man and woman to both work in order to pay the costs of a modern household. And you know what definitely holds people back from being able to have kids? When both partners are required to work full time just to stay alive.
Yeah people who don't know why men are banned here out themselves as newfags immediately. If they weren't we'd be spammed with>Male here, just telling my opinion as a male on why I would/wouldn't fuck this cow!!! >Male here, I'm here to tell you gals how to please men and what men find attractive, and why this cow doesn't/does fulfill those demands!!
shitposting even more. It still happens in certain threads (such as asking for the nudes of the cows because "I'd bang that whore's ass") but thankfully gets banned on sight. It has nothing to do with hating males, it's a precaution to get rid of the attention whores who think they'll be treated as kings on a female-dominant board simply for having a dick. >>347222
Didn't really browse or post to the male-hate thread myself but I really want a place where I can vent about males acting like entitled males when I lose my patience, but it seems that every time you post something negative about men you get labeled as an evil mean femcel. I'm not one of those types that spend their days being hysterical about every man being pedophile rapist but I do lose my patience with them when for example they can't take women's problems seriously or belittle #metoo or my fears of walking home alone after midnight. Hopefully it's still okay to post things like these in the vent thread even though anons seen to go straight to /meta/ to bitch about "femcels derailing with manhate again".
birth defects caused by old eggs mostly cause mitochondrial diseases which are very severe and the children rarely survive infancy. versus as another anon mentioned, old sperm mostly leads to mental or developmental defects which give rise to retards that are capable of carrying out throughout adulthood. so which is more damaging?
sperm also ages altho it's continuously made unlike eggs due to, to put it in simple terms, increased rate of mistakes made during spermatogenesis as men age.
Riiiight, so the solution is to oppress half the population and prevent them from gaining any financial independence, leaving them 100% reliant on a man's benevolence for their safety and security.
I, for one, do not give a fuck about lowered birthrates and retarded children if the only viable solution is women being kept from working, especially because anyone who leaves the house knows that most kids don't actually have disabilities. They are still relatively rare, most people have kids in their 30s, it's nowhere near as drastic or dramatic as alarmist /pol/tards think. Men oppose mothers being over 30 because they want to fuck teenagers, not because they actually care about the health of their child.
No doubt you're the kind of person who thinks women were literally Shackled In Chains and whipped daily by evil men for no reason for all of human history until like 40 years ago. Suffice to say this wasn't the case. Most women were okay with and even happy to be mothers and Housewives. Maybe this system wasn't perfect for literally everyone but it worked. Our current system does not work and the world has been in a steady decline because of it. Women's happiness has been on the decline for decades, just look at you for example.
People are generally stupid, like children.If you asked a child how they wanted to live their life they probably want to eat candy and ice cream all the time and nothing else, but as a responsible adult you make them eat their vegetables even if they complain about it and they wind up better off because of it.
Have you considered that these women were ‘happy’ because they had absolutely no choices outside of the limited things they were allowed? Hm, I wonder why women even bothered revolting and a huge portion were on antidepressants if they were so happy with their situations
Really makes you hmmm
File: 1546335560578.jpeg (19.5 KB, 554x554, D151719E-2B36-4391-B403-D2E0C3…)
This is fucking weird man. Why is this shit allowed but literal spam/gore is up for 8-12 hours?
Is there seriously a man on the moderation team or do they have no European mods? I want more transparency from the current team. It doesn't matter if it's going to change in a month, we still need accountability from the current team to explain their actions.
File: 1546346940439.png (81.92 KB, 1232x1079, 1538164767213.png)
Unfortunately, that just isn't true today, as much as I would like it to be.
The ideal number of men reproducing would be entirely controlled by women and women only. So I imagine it would be in the 1% of men range.
It's not a banned topic and it's no longer off topic here. They can post about it if they want and the group of people it triggers
are going to just have to get used to it until the mods make a new man hate thread.
File: 1546351661856.png (140.43 KB, 1356x632, totally fixed.PNG)
>What's that? Mods closed down the man hate thread?
>Oooooh I see what the problem was.
>There we go! All fixed. Now back to business as usual.
You can bitch all you want but until they ban the topic entirely, it will continue to be discussed in other threads on the site. Ignore it if it triggers
you, which it clearly does.
Nta but I got banned once for making one post in the vent thread about man-hate, I got banned for "not keeping it in my own thread"
I'm not saying mods are all troons conspiring against us, but the fact they're more willing to leave up scrot posts as they keep invading until hours or days later, but ban us in .5 of seconds if we even vaguely reply to the scrot, just to lock the thread because 1 or 2 anons made race-baiting posts, it sure as fuck seems like it
Mods have always been off, but come on dude, leaving gore up for 8 straight hours but magically being able to ban us in seconds sometime and lock the thread if we fight, lolcow is becoming a joke of a site and they really need to rethink whoever the fuck is modding this site
You're not in your echo chamber anymore. Anons are going to call you out for being unable to contain your autism about your special manhate interest when you vomit it all over any other thread. Enjoy.>>347553
All these conspiracies about that thread are hilarious. "tHe MoDs ArE hArBorInG mEn AnD siLenCiNg WomEn" no, the entire site's being neglected (as evidenced by daily errors that render the site actually unusable for hours at a time and anons at each others throats in arguments that span the course of days and no one stops them). Sounds like there's very few farmhands who give a shit about the site these days and the manhate thread probably gets the most reports so they nuked it. There's tons of shitty infighting in nearly every thread on the site that goes largely unmoderated too.>>347572
You're still going, eh?
File: 1546374690338.jpeg (69.14 KB, 640x640, D730AD79-49DF-4323-AB0F-C8474D…)
many trannys do pass and look feminine and pretty. People are being dramatic when they say none of them pass because that just isn’t true. I have no problems with trannys as long as they accept t they’re not women and are just feminine looking men.
File: 1546375747003.jpeg (51.72 KB, 512x512, F6EF7BC0-B347-4FA5-87D1-110DB8…)
I think he passes pretty good. I think most people would think I look more male than him.
File: 1546375872876.jpeg (109.83 KB, 1122x1200, 3C1D3264-C9DF-498B-94E6-83EF38…)
I highly doubt you’d know this is a man if I never mentioned it
It's just more proof that women on average have more empathy than men do, IMO.
If you go to any male majority site, they can screech about us and call us walking holes without anyone really caring to defend us much. On the other hand, on a female majority site, there's way more backlash if you attack men, because even on a gossip site like this, women are actually more caring and less spiteful. They think of their boyfriends, husbands, fathers, sons, etc and take exception to anyone being cruel about the whole gender. For some reason, so many men seem incapable of that. Hmm.
from what I've seen (I don't read /ot/ that often tbf specifically due to all the autism and infighting) anons get branded as femcels when they call people handmaidens or secret male anons for: dating men, feeling sorry for a man, or defending a man against something (regardless of whether they deserve to be defended or not). i haven't seen anyone get clocked as a femcel for reasonable shit like talking about how your bf/dad/x man in your life is a dumbass or something. >>347612
how does this look like a woman to you? genuine question.
File: 1546380933433.jpg (80.26 KB, 640x640, toon town.jpg)
I seriously hate porgs (from the new Star Wars) so much. They were honestly just designed to be a vehicle to sell stupid toys to stupid manchildren and dummies ate it up hook, line, and stinker.
The PS1 was superior to the N64. Like if you don't like Zelda/Mario you have slim pickings on the N64. The Ocarina of time wasn't that good of a game - it was a step back in quality from A Link to the Past. Crash and Spyro were better platformer/adventure games than Super Mario 64.
Pitbulls were literally just bred to be fighting dogs and maul other dogs/animals on command. I support banning them without muzzles in public, because I'm sick of posturing idiots getting them to be 'tough guys' or libfem twitter types trying to virtue signal by adopting a 'misunderstood' animal - and then seeing yet another article about someone's baby getting mauled or someone else's pets being attacked outside.
Cats should not be allowed outside unsupervised. They cause massive damage to local animal populations (they have driven multiple species to extinction) and on average have a life span that is 5-7 years shorter than indoor cats due to larger predators/running into traffic. Cat owners who let their cats outside all day are lazy and selfish.
I think Sam Hyde is hilarious, I've laughed harder at him saying goofy shit into a camera than I have at any multi-million comedy Hollywood has put out in years.
Firefly was never good. The characters were unlikeable, the humor was like someone quoting a reddit thread, and River was a Mary Sue.
Dinosaurs had feathers.
File: 1546381489854.jpeg (74.45 KB, 1000x936, 62E40043-C756-429A-8255-311C3F…)
>>347660>Dinosaurs had feathers.
I find the idea of feathers dinosaurs to be cooler. Agile, warm-blooded birds > dumb, slumbering reptiles
File: 1546381874936.jpg (63.55 KB, 626x461, dino.jpg)
I agree, it's just that so many people don't want to give up the image of the dinosaurs they grew up with in Jurassic Park or the myth that 100% of dinosaurs died as soon as the meteor hit and didn't eventually evolve into birds.
I'm really scared of birds, and now I understand why.
I also had a friend who once told me chickens were basically dinosaur's descendants, and I couldn't unsee it.
File: 1546383706724.jpg (54.97 KB, 588x316, uma delicia.jpg)
It's especially telling if you look at something like a crowned eagle which looks like a modern pterodactyl or a cassowary which looks like a mini raptor. Very reptilian looking birds.
File: 1546383767072.jpg (54.97 KB, 588x316, uma delicia.jpg)
It's especially telling if you look at something like a crowned eagle which looks like a modern pterodactyl or a cassowary which looks like a mini raptor. Very reptilian looking birds.
agreed on every point.
I didn't know dinosaurs having feathers was a contentious point though, I thought it was widely agreed upon. feathers are way cooler anyway.
its agreed upon by people who actually know an ounce of science
anyone who says otherwise is muh jurassic park
is right. Unless you had ONE ex, I'm gonna be suspicious if all your "ex gf were crazies". Especially considering the fact that 100% of the IRL men that told me that considered jealousy/possessivness as ultimate top notch crazy where the crazy exes from my female friends were legit raping them, beating them and taking all of their money while isolating them from their families.
>>347711>the truth>uncalled for
"My exes are all crazy" is a textbook, commonly known manipulation tactic used by abusive guys. It's a way of
-absolving the guy of their own shortcomings or actual abuse they committed in the relationship
-making them into an innocent victim to lull women into a false sense of security and protectiveness
-making it so these women doubt or even attack their exes if they ever try to warn them about them
On top of that, 100% of the time, you will
be gaslit and called "crazy" yourself if you ever notice anything off about these guys, or if you do/say anything that steps out of line.
Every woman should read "Why Does He Do That?" by Lundy Bancroft. It breaks down the actions and thought processes of abusive male partners perfectly, and this very phenomena is highlighted in it. IMO, 1-2 exes being crazy is credible, shit happens, but any more than that? And you downplay, or simply can't or won't properly acknowledge any faults or fuck-ups on your
end throughout any of those relationships? Nah, you're lying to hide shit, and are probably the one who's truly insane.
Who said I only think men do that?>The fact that you think only men do that proves that all probably applies to you.
Huh. In all the hullabaloo, I checked out the man hate thread that got locked earlier. This weak "no u! just thinking about that proves that YOU'RE the evil one!" shit is very, very reminiscent of what the racebaiting "huwhite men are innocent and do nothing rong, its the brown mooslems >:(" /pol/ poster said when an anon pointed out the amount of white men who actually feel sadistic pleasure when white women are raped or killed by non-white men.
Your argument skills are very, very weak.
File: 1546388102617.jpg (190.25 KB, 1280x1280, 5mCdUHQ5riM4TCV1MTITfndvODaJyy…)
I agree Sue passes, just as a butterface girl though.
Actually looks like one of my 100% female friends growing up lmao.
Also the>no u are the one doing the bad thing I would never do
Is a classic male tactic to evade capture. He directs attention away from the problem (him) by accusing the innocent(s) of causing said problem.
Agreed. What many misogynistic men (and their handmaidens) miss is that fundamentally, even when misandry is brewing, we aren't like them. Many of us still have men in our lives who we love and care for. Women en masse don't go out, kill/rape men/boys and commit atrocities all because they're mad they have no boyfriend, they were in a nasty divorce or because they made and unironically believe in some religion that says men are essentially cattle.
When I shit on men on LC, I'm not actually advocating genocide or pure hatred of them like they do with us. I don't delight in stories about ruining men's days, say a boy who was raped deserved it, or make fun of men who end up having sad paths in life because they were once little boys with dreams of being famous or cool.
I'm just frustrated about the state of society. There are still men I like and even love. It's almost like most men are incapable of that kind of thing, so they think we must be, as well.
No one does that. We talk about shitty women, and call them out all the time.
I have a feeling you're just mad because you know you wouldn't be able to get away with turning this place into /r9k/ or r/sluthate 2.0.
Anon, trannies don’t pass. They’ll look feminine but they’ll be indestinguishable. They’ll always have some male features that they can’t get rid of even with shooping and going under the knife, and the only reason they look even remotely feminine is because it’s a photograph so they control the narrative within it.
I’ve seen a few people pop up that say that trannies/sissies are fine as long as they recognise that they’re men, but they’re really not. It’s not just a case of them being more feminine than masculine, they try wear our skin by appearing as female as possible (not just feminine), and their dicks get hard to it too - not just that, it’s a humiliation thing to them, they find the idea of being a woman humiliating which just gets them off even more.
File: 1546391484170.gif (3.73 MB, 480x375, CTW (1).gif)
Not liking a taste of your own medicine I see.
Uh-huh>These "gotcha" moments make me want to off myself for even browsing this site knowing people like you use the board.
Okay, have fun, then.
so now you have been outed as the shitposting anon you are scraping the barrel for comebacks? Fucking LOL >This site is 18+
exactly, so why are you here? you clearly have the mental capacity of a 12yr old edgelord.
nta but it's infighting.
Seems more like several of us calling out one anon their bullshit rather than everyone infighting. Hopefully, the BS doesn't get this thread locked too.>lmao
It's almost like you're contributing to it.
I think it largely depends on the context. Call your friends girls can be endearing, but in a professional setting it can come off condescending, in particular if it’s a higher up/man saying it
30+ year old men who are pretending to be teenagers clearly aren’t all that appropriate for this term
>>347805>this shit is hilarious
Is it? Are you literally sitting in your computer chair Lol-ing at passive aggressive meme postings and the same tired, bitter infighting that anyone who's browsed this site for years has seen already?
Wow, golly, so funny - if you have a brain stem like a Hooligans!
Bush and Cheney made the right decisions regarding Saddam Hussein and Iraq, from a realpolitk perspective. Turning Iraq into an unstable shithole isolated Saudi Arabia from any potential other allies and forced them to co-operate with the US (and Israel), ensuring a (relatively) stable status quo for a decade. The Arab Spring, and the Syrian catastrophe by extension, were disasters that threw all this out, and couldn't have been predicted by Bush or Cheney at the time.
Israel should never have been created in the middle east, and instead should've been established in Madagascar. But now that it is where it is, it's best if they either ethnically cleanse or integrate Palestine entirely, the creation of a Palestinian state would do nothing at this point to ensure peace as there's been too many decades of butthurt to ever bury the hatchet. The US and the west has to ensure Israel's survival against its neighbors, because Israel would go through with mass nuclear war and the Samson option in a second due to their memory of the holocaust.
France, at least the political elite in France, still has imperialist ambitions and would happily throw French republican principles out in favor of anything that would further this. Whether it's integrating the French sphere of influence in Africa with France proper, embracing Islam or turning to Socialist principles. Russia is of a similar attitude and disposition, but they have nothing other than Putin's autocracy to turn to.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the eastern bloc, in the way it collapsed, was a catastrophe. The entire eastern European economic collapse of the 90s could've been avoided if the Soviet Union reformed along the same lines as China. 'Shock therapy' was simply a collusion between the Russian bureaucratic elite and the west to pillage Russian capital, Russia or the Soviet Union would be on good terms with the United States right now if it wasn't for the disaster of the 90s.
The North Korean government most likely wants to embrace the west, but they're unsure how to go about reforming their system without ending up in a civil war like most 20th century dictatorships that have liberalized. There's probably plans in the works between North Korea, China and the West as we speak to guide this transition, in a way that allows the Kim dynasty to keep their heads and autonomy. This is most likely being kept secret because the Kim dynasty doesn't want to give their army or secret service a legitimate reason to depose their 'reactionary actions'.
File: 1546406752782.jpg (47.5 KB, 330x373, IMG_4118.JPG)
Iraq was never aligned with Saudi Arabia. Sadams Iraq was a Ba'athist state - which is a pan Arab nationalist ideology and opposed to the existence of Wahhabism and the Saudi royal family. It's also why the Saudis, Israel, and the US collaborated to destroy the other Ba'athist states Libya and (postponed) Syria.
File: 1546407551885.jpg (115.46 KB, 1920x1118, 536317781a1a43a7155282ff72467f…)
how are feathers not cool? a feathered trex is SO cool!
it's not a secret that jurassic park wasn't scientifically accurate, it was based on what we knew almost 30 years ago, and actually the making of jurassic park contributed to the discovery of a link between birds and dinos! it's one of my favorite movies but how is anyone acting like it's a documentary?
Final Fantasy is a shit series and yokai watch 1 & 2 are more fun than any pokemon games in existence>>347844
Meh, grass is greener. I grew up with sony consoles and it completely killed my interest video games until I got a ds and pokemon + animal crossing because I didn't really like any of the kids games. I only actually had fun when my dad would let me fuck around on gta vice city. I do like sony consoles now but I prefer the switch by a country mile. The vita was debatably better than 3ds though.
heres probably an unpopular opinion, all the dinosaurs in jp are ugly as shit. the jp rex looks so fucking chunky and ugly and i hate that virtually every other dinosaur containing media models its trex after it.
sage for dino sperging
feathered trex is freakin adorable.
JP was a good movie, but i agree. It's old and was never truly based on science. It's one of those 'haha, look at this cool 90s movie with cool animatronics' but that's it. Anyone who takes it for fact is an actual idiot.
File: 1546448103059.jpg (134.98 KB, 1200x1200, north-koreans-watching-k-pop-f…)
WHY DID THEY DRESS THEM LIKE THIS IN SUCH A CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY AS NORTH KOREA?
I mean they look terrible with the shorts and thigh-highs for an event in such country.
I used to really be into K-pop pre-2014 when the music was still enjoyable and fun and the band members had creative, cool outfits for the videos. Now they look like autistic fashion disasters and the music is just rehashed american pop. What the fuck happened.>>347968
They're just stans sperging over idols having surgery/gaining fat/becoming an ana-chan. It's a garbage fire.
I feel that a lot of people with gender issues have a lot of much larger underlying issues and they resort to these things just to cope. As an anecdote, I have a friend who’s an obese straight girl who secretly identifies as non-binary but she has obvious issues with her self-esteem and lack of confidence probably in part due to her appearance.
That being said, I agree that people who are secure in not conforming to gender norms don’t use it as a way to cope and probably don’t care about labeling themselves.
>>348142>a lot of people with gender issues have a lot of much larger underlying issues and they resort to these things just to cope.
oh, definitely. it's easier/less painful (in the short-term) than processing any of those underlying issues. that's why the label attracts so many teenagers and insecure young adults.>>348143>what do you believe makes a “real” non-binary person?
generally, someone that isn't comfortable conforming to gender roles for reasons outside of insecurity or any other prior issues that would be solved with therapy. basically, if the person is using the label to cope, or to seem special, or to fit in with their online friends, they're most likely having a phase. these people tend to only get more confused and depressed regarding their identity, because they didn't actually solve the real issue.
lgbt people in general tend to be very different online vs irl. non-binary people i've met irl (myself included) don't necessarily care about labels. they're usually fine using nothing, or "non-binary." you don't hear them using labels like demigirl or pronouns like xir/xem. i dress/present myself how i like and don't really make an attempt to look "androgynous" so people assuming i'm female doesn't upset me. sure, it'd be nice if people somehow automatically knew to use they/them for me, but things don't work like that. non-binary people on the internet tend to take that kind of stuff very personally. i'm confident in my identity and know i am non-binary despite looking female, so if people think i'm dumb/faking i don't have to argue with them. i also typically don't bother correcting people at all unless they're friends. it's just less hassle.
i don't have an answer for you, because i am physically female, dress/act feminine, love pink, and am non-binary, so my reasoning doesn't come from "i'm not like other girls, so i must not be a girl"
i don't believe i expressed myself clearly when i said "someone that isn't comfortable conforming to gender roles" since i do agree that gender roles are mostly manufactured, so i retract that statement. i didn't mean a girl that's a tomboy which is how it sounded. i meant something more along the lines of how the individual personally feels about it. but that brings me to this:>>348153>Gender is a concept
if this is true, where's the issue with someone choosing to forgo it entirely?>>348156>Dressing unisex is not a third gender
i'm aware. i don't dress unisex, that's not why i identify like i do. may i ask why you think the non-binary label is stupid and shallow? are there circumstances where you don't think of it like that? genuinely curious.
this is the clearest, least douchey view on this i've seen so far, thank you. going over my posts i probably am trying to justify it to myself, so i'm definitely going to reevaluate some things and think about this for a bit.>>348164
Anime and manga are underrated hobbies for women tbh. Josei, shoujo and BL/fujobait are all made by and for women, if you have any sense you avoid things made for men and you're left with self indulgent stuff for girls. If skinny female characters are a problem, limit it even further to all male casts. CGDCT and haremshit are among the worst media for women though, it's true.
Kpop is also fine if you exclusively stan male idols and ignore what people say about the girls, but they are unpredictable so you just have to hope the male isn't an overt asshole about women.
IMO, it's not any more toxic than western music, TV shows/movies sexualizing high schoolers (and even middle schoolers with shit like some scenes from It and Stranger Things), and models (a sad amount of which are literally just tall, lanky 14 year olds made up to look like women), to be honest.
Women from Asian countries just tend to be a bit shorter and younger-looking for longer, so of course their beauty standards will reflect that. I agree it's toxic for those who aren't naturally predisposed to those traits, because in a way, they're trying to fight biology and genetics instead of working with what they have, but it's a bit asinine to act like kawaii uguu unnie weeb/koreaboo shit is inherently any worse than anorexic models with grown woman's heights but 13 year old's faces, 20+ year old model/actresses who are cast as high schoolers (making actual teens feel bad about their looks, and
normalizing the sexualization of that age group) or IG thots with fake, inflated asses. It's all bad.
The whole "non-binary" concept is irritating to me, because gender isn't actually much deeper than the sex you were born as. There are women who like and relate to "man stuff", and vice versa, because when it comes down to it, none of that shit is real. Going on about how you don't ~*feel either, or feel both at the same time*~ is lending legitimacy to a fanciful concept. It's true that the two are treated different socially, but like, getting a pixie cut or growing out your hair won't allow you to escape that people can absolutely still tell what sex you are based on your facial features and body shape. That's just life.
I don't understand how so many of these people will readily admit "Gender is a social construct" and "Clothing has no gender" ad infinitum, but then go on about "feeling like a boy today, and a girl tomorrow, or sometimes both or just neither". You've already admitted you can't really "feel" either, it's all just made-up monkey shit, so what is all this you're spouting now? Why are you enforcing this binary shit you don't even believe in? Why can't you just continue to exist as a woman (or man) who likes suits and ties with short hair and some unshaven body hair some days, but also likes long hair, makeup and sundresses on others? Why all this extra "Pls only use they/them with me" shit?
I never did this. Read my posts. >Loli shit makes women who are already young (18-22) believe they must look like 12 year olds to be attractive and that theyre going to die at 30 and it makes men believe being a literal pedophile is cute/normal.
And in the west, girls who are like 12-16 believe they must look like 21 year olds to be attractive and that they're going to die at 30, and all the 20-25 year olds masquerading as teens and actual 14 year olds doing the most to be indistinguishable from grown women since that's the beauty standard makes men believe being a literal pedophile is cute/normal. We can't even pretend like "THIS girl is 14, can you believe it? Countdown til she's legal brehs. We need to abolish this age of consent shit, it's just made up by jealous 26 year old roasties who are at THE WALL" shit isn't everywhere. >>348262>Anons here want an easy scapegoat for their problems, they think if they weren’t a weeaboo they wouldn’t hate themselves, but that’s not true, you’d just hate yourself another way.
Neither are good or acceptable for reasons listed multiple times. It's all self-hate. Little girls trying to look "legal", little girls trying to prolong looking "illegal" for as long as possible, grown women trying to look "legal" but not too
"legal" (because that's hag-status), and grown women trying to look "illegal". Don't defend any of them or RP that any are worse. All are used to justify pedophilia in a different way, because pedos will always find an excuse. Society treats women and our appearances like shit, point blank.
Every time kpop ends up on mainstream media men make fun of it because they see 5'6" 100lbs asian guys wearing make up and think it's funny. They make fun of kpop and Bieber types because they see them as fap material for chubby teen girls. >>348269
Only losers have yellow fever. Normal men who can get dates have a clear preference for western women. Even incels make fun of guys with yellow fever.
Those men who preach about how their flat chested asian waifus are better than western women are the male equivalent of kpop fangirls who think men are jealous of their oppa.
>>348275>girls have always wanted to look older
And women have always preferred looking younger, especially in countries where people age slower. Just because it happens doesn't mean it should be encouraged or normalized. >and Its better than them finding loli anime then going over to 4chan and cam whoring it up for pedos like ciara and the like.
The other side is Danielle Bregoli, whoring it up for pedos in LA (aka IRL), on Instagram, on YouTube, etc. Please, help me understand what is better about this. Both seem like absolute shit.
kind of agree. i'd rather men ogling teenagers than 8 year olds. in asia most teenagers and 20+ women look pretty similar, and in the west most teenagers in media are "aged up" as far as styling goes, and i think that
is the fucked up aspect. hollywood dresses teens up like 20 somethings and uses 30 year olds to act teen roles and it creates this gross false reality for people to buy into. same with asian media, most teen girls in japan dress frumpy as fuck or in their shitty school uniforms, but coquettishly sexed up idols make a weird normalized fantasy. and i honestly think that the media has more responsibility for constantly shoving this shit down people's throats, than the people who buy into it.
I was being sarcastic, I completely agree with you. I find the whole trend of "im human garbage/I'm suicidally depressed/anxious" memes to be so overplayed.
I think it's symptoms of living in an increasingly urbanized/digital world that causes these feelings of ennui and anomie. Humans weren't meant to live packed in urban, grey apartment blocks and getting 90% of their social interactions from a glowing screen.
Having an echo chamber where people negatively circlejerk their depression and anxiety surprisingly
does nothing to make their symptoms any better.
If you engage in toxicity all the time the lines become pretty blurred until you are indeed also toxic.
File: 1546557440555.jpg (6.13 KB, 250x252, 1508878374437.jpg)
Not the white women I've seen, if the woman cares for herself then she can look fine as she gets older, even then I knew white women who smoked and drank and still look great as they aged, mostly Italian, french, or aushkenazi women, not to mention trying to constantly cling onto wanting to look like a little girl can age you, Yumi King and her followers for example, it just depends on the woman, not "you fugly Western white women are gonna hit the wall unlike my ugu perfect Asian waifus that's why men hate you, all white women age bad no exceptions"
However saying "the wall" is at 19 or 20 and obsessing over it is ridiculous regardless of race or if you believe all white women turn into raisins by 19 no exceptions and Asians are youthful forever or not(racebait)
Don't even get me started on that one psycho anon who's been infighting for years here
Those anons who see people fighting, point to one anon to tell them to stop, wonder why infighting worsens, those anons who obsess over certain anons they fight with and go around to different threads and accuse everyone of being that one anon they fought and obsess and harass that one anon they fought with, this place is a mess
can we just stop with the asian women vs white women shit. This whole thread has become shit talking about asian girls and asian idols like holy shit can we move on.
Here's my completely unrelated unpopular opinion. Johnny Depp is so damn hot, funny and charismatic that I don't even care if he's abusing women
File: 1546570480361.jpg (34.94 KB, 615x409, OPoLpQc.jpg)
File: 1546577335218.jpg (58.18 KB, 273x448, disgusting.jpg)
jesus… he looks like a trailer park meth dealer
Someone please explain to me, where in this post at all, was I intiating some east vs west discussion and race-baiting or "insulting Asian girls" and >>348564
Dindu nuffin(samefag/ ban evasion)
How am I ban invading if you didn't even ban me first of all
Second, I still want an explaination about how anything I said was race-baiting and the other post, which was actual race bait, wasn't
Agreed. The nuclear family is way too isolating (particularly due to ease of travel), it's too much pressure to rely on two people and the strength of their bond for a child's wellbeing. There needs to be more support, financial and just in terms of child raising, so it's not the end of the world if the parents split up.
You can tell there's something inherently wrong with the nuclear family structure when men insist it is being destroyed by feminism. If the only way it can function properly is by having one half of a couple chained to the stove, it's not a resiliant system at all.
People coming up these days with their ‘traditional’ values are odd individuals. There’s nothing really truly traditional about treating women as property or the subjugation of ethnic minorities - it’s primitive at best and pure human greed. I was raised Christian, and even though I’m an atheist now, my family and most of the people I knew advocated for women’s rights and civil liberties. I was always raised to value myself as an individual. Sure, if you take the Bible out of context you can make it into whatever you want, but in general religion has attempted to elevate people out of the quagmire of ignorance, whether or not they were successful at doing so.
I do think modernism needs to be addressed, but I doubt the raging anarchists in today’s social movements would be happy whatever time period they lived in.
Yeah cause radfems are murdering men just like incels kill women.
Also women being sick of being raped and harmed for their sex is same as neckbeard pissbabies calling for female enslavement cause that hot one chick did not want to suck their dicklets.
>>349169>like incels kill women
And that's happened what, twice? Yet you seem to think it's a daily occurrence.
I'm sure I could find that many instances of radfems murdering men actually.
Ha, please post links to murders commited by radfems.
I WISH there was an army of radfems out there killing rapists and pedos.
Actually the Nuclear Family is a post neoliberal myth. Before WW2 families lived with grandparents in the house, and over seas (like in my families country) it's common for grandparents to live with the family to help raise children.
Nuclear is a meme, extended families were how children were reared for decades. It takes a village to raise a child after all. Kicking kids out at 18, buying a new home every generation, and shoving your parents in a nursing home are all neoliberal memes.
File: 1546654376841.png (205.02 KB, 540x273, tumblr_inline_ntvfd7tbo71tt661…)
Here's a REAL unpopular opinion: Sanrio sells more than pineapples
non binary is a joke. it's honestly the same bullshit trans people pull. They expect you to either be extreme princess feminine or truck driving, bear punching masculine and any in between is ~non~binary.
fuck, that annoys the shit out of me.
Depends on your situation I guess. If you're a battered mom with no support system and completely isolated and controlled it's really hard to leave. Some women are actually in fear of their life, for good reason. Obviously there are dangerous men out there who will actually kill you if you try to leave.
If it's like Onision's wife who is a complete doormat even though her parents would welcome her back with open arms, shes educated and could have a good future, everyone from complete strangers to fans tell er to get out - don't feel bad for her tbh.
File: 1546666837108.jpeg (81.71 KB, 677x453, 7520A1FB-6531-423D-9ED7-3EA932…)
Graffiti and tags look like shit 100% of the time and only tools who watched too many bad gangsta movies do it or think it looks better than crayon scribbles.
Everyone who tags shit is a douche. There has never been an exception.
>>349362>I mean, "abusive relationship" is a broad term.
Well it shouldn't be. Letting a serious term like abusive relationship have such a broad definition only invites lots of people to participate in a victimhood circlejerk or serve as fuel for man-haters to claim as large a number of men as possible are evil.
It just makes it so if you say someone is abused others start to think "oh so your boyfriend didn't take you on an expensive date on your anniversary so you think you're emotionally abused now".
It’s a broad term because of the many different forms of abuse not because someone didn’t get taken out on a date, are you genuinely this obtuse
Getting hit isn’t the only form of abuse; physical, emotional, sexual, financial, in cases of a dependent partner neglect, these are all abuse. And notice that majority of them don’t leave bruises
>>349398>serve as fuel for man-haters to claim as large a number of men as possible are evil.
lol, I like how you automatically start attacking man-haters and claim it's women doing that, meanwhile go in the man-hating thread, you can have a montage of examples of men claiming things that aren't abuse at all, are abuse, like how the study that showed women abused more, when it was investigated, as it turns out, men were marking things such as not having a hot meal, as abuse, but yep, poor oppressed men, those evil women, manipulating the definition of abuse
>Researcher Elspeth McInnes… recounts some of her research that showed that when men talked about women’s violence against men, some cited abuse as not having a hot meal on the table, not having the children bathed before bed, or women spending money on gambling or shopping. At the more severe end of the spectrum, they nominated verbal and emotional violence as abuse. Then, a tiny minority documented physical abuse, and an even smaller minority named sexual abuse. >>349402
haven't you heard anon? emotional abuse is only valid and "just as bad as physical" if a woman is doing, what he considers abuse. when a woman gets abused, unless she's being physically beaten, she is just an evil victim-complexed woman, hell even then women get blamed for their physical abuse
im not into graffiti but you should know that its goal isnt to "look pretty" or whatever, it's to vandalize. It's often ugly on purpose. >>349372>art isn't objectively hideous
kek. I personally don't think graffiti is art but if you think that art has to be beautiful (even subjectively beautiful), you literally have no clue.
Except TG's third album featured naked pictures of a little girl on a bed, Bennett's lyrics in Whitehouse and album art constantly veered into weird shit about CSA (and he called his album about abuse "sexy" lmao). Him associating with Sotos for so long and writing with an actual pedophile with a "hurtcore" obsession puts him in the hotseat too, though. It's essentially like having Soren as a creative partner, collaborating/supporting her Tumblr porn blog full of pictures of kids and writing stories with her.
There's being edgy, and there's very focused concentration and fascination on certain topics.
File: 1546731124656.jpg (96.68 KB, 1200x630, 29-alexandria-ocasio-cortez.w1…)
She annoys the shit out of me, it's cringe how hard she tries to be ~relatable~ and I think the stories about how Republicans were outraged over an old video of her dancing were manufactured. I'm quite liberal but tbh wouldn't want someone whose experience is basically just being a bartender representing me in Congress lollll, i'm tired of hearing her complain about how poor she is
Vandalism is objectively ugly.
Art, even ugly art, is at least interesting.
Some 14 year olds nickname poorly written in texta is the furthest thing from any sort of art to have ever existed.
File: 1546747659859.jpeg (680.14 KB, 950x760, 0710EC58-FE65-4EEC-8C53-660512…)
Matt Furie’s body of work has more creativity and artistic value than the entirety of 4chan’s shitty memes. I don’t care for his political views but any 4chan memer who denies or downplays his creativity or screams that he is a no-name artist has no clue how the art world operates.
However, that still doesnt change the fact that graffiti isnt meant to be pretty. Vandalism its often meant to be ugly and its often political. I dislike graffiti as well but the fact that it's ugly just isnt a good argument.
File: 1546770704552.jpeg (73.94 KB, 640x480, 810A8BF4-FAC6-4DAA-8949-2F33AA…)
Eh, I’ve never seen political graffiti just hideous tags. It’s literally just names in a shitty typeface. That’s not subversive or political it’s just wankers.
Graffiti that’s actually something other than names and dicks on a wall might mean something but you don’t get that as often as pic related which is pure garbage.
Have you considered that the people telling you "stay in your lane" are not the exact same people who say you're not doing/saying anything?
You sound a bit like men crying that they can't be halfway decent to women or support women's rights because women will say "Stay out of this, entitled chauvinist scrote, it's not about you and you're just trying to get pussy anyway", kek.
I am old people.
You sound like you tag shit.
the idea would be to damage private proprety, like making ugly a rich person's house.
With monuments, it makes even more sense. I live in Europe too and the monument of a famous colonizer often gets vandalized.
I still agree it's not art and that it's ugly tho, but nevertheless most people dont know what they're talking about when they talk about it.
I was thinking about actual sports too because people overrate athletes in society and sports fan can be the scum of the earth. Actual sports involve skills that involves more than sitting on your ass and pressing buttons.
Also, I wasn’t dismissing discrimination because of course that’s always awful. Esports are fucking lame though. Most women probably know better and avoid getting involved in that sort of autism anyways since a lot of people also complain about how women are underrepresented in esports.
File: 1546845873441.jpg (252.57 KB, 1485x847, apex.jpg)
>>350272>Most women probably know better and avoid getting involved in that sort of autism anyways
You couldn't be more wrong.
i dont think lainey/taylor was grooming sarah or is romantically or in any way interested in sarah, even for greg. i dunno about sarah's interest in lame or greg, but i don't think taylor is into sarah romantically. i don't think she's into any women at all romantically, and i think people are giving her way too much credit in thinking she'd actually be into any female at all. it's kind of weird how everyone is freaking out about the way she acts towards her as if it's not normal in female friendships to be fake 'flirty'.
i don't think she was showing interest in sarah with her behavior toward her. there's honestly nothing weird about close girl friends seeing each other without tops and such while changing or hanging out with each other and showing them memes while they take a bath or whatever, or jokingly talking about dating them or wifing them up or commenting that they're a 'hot tamale' or something on their insta pics. imo, that's normal between female friends. it was inappropriate given that she was likely underage when the bathing happened, but i truly think taylor sees sarah as a peer and doesn't see so much wrong with it. after all, sarah IS more mature than taylor, so the actual age thing probably doesn't strike her as such a big deal. my best friends have asked me to sit in the bathroom and talk to them about stupid bullshit while they take a shower or a bath. this isn't weird between girls. there's nothing sexual about it.
obviously, because she's tied to greg, it's going to be seen as predatory, and i'm not sure if sarah has any actual interest in lame or greg, or whatever, but as far as taylor's intentions, i think they were all non-sexual and she doesn't see her as anything more than a friend, personally.
greg would definitely have sex with sarah, but i don't think taylor thinks he's into her and that's why she is so ok with bringing her around. i think she did think he would find her unattractive, especially because she was less conventionally attractive when she first brought her in. it's like how she's pretty okay with bringing that jess girl around. she was pretty confident grease wouldnt be into her.
tl;dr imo lame isnt into sarah bc shes straight as can be, first of all, and second, she thought of sarah as the DUFF that would be safe bringing around greg, especially since sarah was chubbier and more awkward looking before
Remember when the Munchies and Jaquie threads were banned almost a year ago and r/illnessfakers was created? Predictably, the mods got drunk with power. Not even six years months in they permanently banned several members who had been in the sub from the get go for disagreeing with them about certain aspects of how the sub was run, not for actually breaking rules. Ironically they decided to prohibit blogposting which was the reason the threads were banned here.
They refused to engage with appeals which violates reddit's rules for mods. Two of the bans were substantiated with jaw droppingly hypocritical ableism and blatant gaslighting.
One mod quit and closed her account when she was called out, but opened a new account with essentially the same name. But even she got offended by management and left. The founder of the sub fucked off for months at a time but wouldn't relinquish control and threatened to delete it.
And then there was the time she encouraged someone claiming to be one of the cows nurses during her ER visit to violate HIPAA.
In less than a year it became its own kind of nitpicking hugbox and betrayed its founding ideals in true reddit fashion.BRAVO!
I would agree if it wasn't confirmed by lane 2 years ago that lainey and greg planned to pursue sarah romantically when she was 16, and then have the same thing confirmed by ayalla.
And if that isn't enough Greg confirmed it himself on his stream recently lol.
I agree she's straight but it doesn't change that she's been grooming girls for greg.
File: 1546897198110.jpg (34 KB, 564x217, 1546619007778.jpg)
except all of that is terribly vague, and honestly, i don't think 'lane' knows as much as she says she does, same for ayalla. lane has always seemed thirsty to be in their business. as far as what ayalla says, i honestly believe there's a lot of twisting to make fake flirty bullshit seem more sexual and planned than it is. like, stuff that always seemed obviously jokey to me is claimed to be so incriminating, even WAY before these supposed confirmations. she claimed they had 'flirty' and/or 'romantic' conversations. what did these 'romantic' conversations consist of? how do we even know she used the word 'romantic'? 'flirty' conversations aren't anything odd for taylor. lame talks that way with literally every female she encounters, including fakebois, who we know for a fact that she isn't romantically into. she talks flirty to everyone with a vagina because, first of all, that's how like, 90% of female friendships are, and second, because she knows she has no actual interest in them. all of the 'evidence' being second and third hand without any proof of it doesn't really convince me, tbh. until it comes straight from sarah, i remain unconvinced.
like literally before all of these confirmations everyone was flipping their shit about how they spoke to each other, like 'flirting' between girlfriends jokingly isn't normal. it is. if someone that wasn't used to female friendships overheard my 'flirting' with my friends, they'd call it 'flirty' and would probably think i'm into my friends, too. ayalla just saying they had flirty convos means nothing. without them full on sexting with proof of it or some shit, i really don't buy it.
until texts from sarah admitting word for word that taylor wanted her for a poly relationship, herself, come out, i don't believe it. lane and ayalla have never been sooo close to the source, and they both have reason to come out against greg and taylor. i think both lane and ayalla are biased as theyve both been maligned by greg and taylor, and obviously greg is disgusting and sarah SHOULD def get out of there, but i don't think her relationship w taylor is as sexual as they think. that ayalla thinks the bathing thing is so odd just makes me think they have a narrative to push (a sensible one considering greg is so gross, but i don't think sarah really was a planned trinity member).
>>350425> and people acting all badass in the comments talking about how theyd kill anyone who harmed their dog
what's so badass about that? Of course, I wouldn't kill but if someone hurt or poisoned or killed my pet, I'd do anything to punch back. Are you a sociopath or something?
And I don't understand the hatred against reddit. Sure, it has many faults but you can also get some decent info. It's like with any media or platform, you need to learn how to filter the trash in order to get to the good parts. I do wish we could bring the old forums back.
also, i think it's pretty sus that 'lane' deletes all of her messages dealing with drama and/or negativity but frequently came out/comes out to shade online people. like, obviously grease and taylor deserve to be shit on for so many things, but it just seems super convenient that this girl said both that her phone crashed and wiped out all her messages, and also that she deletes any messages related to drama/negativity, ensuring that any proof will never be seen.
it's just sus. if she had screenshots from sarah, i'd be super convinced, however.
I may act affectionate with my adult female friends but certainly not anyone underage while I'm 21 and older like Lainey did. That's gross, especially the Twitter "jokes". And they both have a history of dating minors.
Is it also appropriate for Greg to comment on Sarah's ass while she's underage? He was nervous about her reaction and sent her away because of it. Sarah also told multiple people she's dating Lainey and/or hopes to in addition to being openly jealous about girls they are interested in? She told her cousin she might be next for the trinity.
And called Lainey her girlfriend on social media.
You sound new or like you need to lurk more. Or an onion flake.
>>350503>I wouldn't kill but if someone hurt or poisoned or killed my pet, I'd do anything to punch back
lol except in a lot of the posts people comment this under, the person who harmed or killed the dog was in the right e.g. people getting outraged over a farmer shooting a dog who was on their property and posed a risk to their livestock. i guess we should just let the little angelic pupper maul those farm animals to death kek. ive also seen waaay too many posts where police officers shoot dogs that attacked them and people in the comments are defending the poor innocent doggo uwu the ebul police officer should have known better. like no, if your fucking giant creature that could bite my neck in half if it wanted to was charging at me and trying to attack me and i had a gun id shoot it too.
also someone who harms or kills an animal is not the same level as someone who harms or kills a person. theres something horribly wrong when someone who picks a puppy up by the scruff, or grabs a puppy by its tail, or is just giving their dog up for adoption is posted in the same place as fucking murderers and rapists.
Writing your name at the train station isn’t political. It’s kids with sharpies leading to wasted tax money being spent cleaning up after them. Lmao at thinking that writing a stupid nickname on a wall is political or sticking it to the man.
You sound like you’re 15 and having baby’s first rebellion.
i did, iirc, the worst he said was she was 'hesitant' to date sarah, which, to me, says everything about HIS intentions for sarah, not taylor's. he's always talking about taylor's supposed interest in dating such and such person, when we all know it's just HIS interest in dating them. taylor doesn't want to bring anyone in to date him or her because a., she's straight, and b., they're a threat. i do think she's complicit in preying on other girls for him, but not this one. it sounds to me like he's saying "well, i've expressed interest in her, especially recently, but taylor is hesitant because despite her not admitting it publicly, she does realize that this is one retarded, roundabout way for me to publicly cuck/cheat on her".
i think, if anything, taylor was jokingly flirty with her as she does with most of her female friends, and she felt flattered when she realized later on that sarah wasn't just joking, but that she was actually into her, and so she continued to be flirty as she typically is because she would get genuine compliments and self-esteem boosts from sarah being into her, but i dont think she was into her or spoke to her with the express purpose of roping her in for greg. like, i think she fanned the flame of sarah being into her once she realized sarah wasn't just joking the way taylor was, which, is incredibly inappropriate, but these people are fucked in the head. i just don't get the feeling she has ever had actual interest in her or intended to use her as greg bait.>>350511
yes, it's inappropriate, but as i said, taylor is very immature and, i think, doesn't realize the severity of the situation because she truly sees sarah as her peer. sarah is more mature than taylor is, imo, so i don't think she understands that typically there is a significant emotional and mental difference between a 24 yo and an 18 yo, or a 22 yo and a 16 yo or whatever she was, so it's jarring to everyone normal, but it isn't to her because she's so stunted. yes, it is inappropriate for greg to do that. i already said like ten times greg is disgusting and he def would've fucked her. still doesn't mean taylor was into her or wanted to bring her in as a trinity member. and not an onion flake at all. as i said before, i think taylor felt secure bringing her in previously because she was sure he wouldn't be into her, same as jess.
It’s such a grey area morally that imo people can’t be civilised and talk about it without flipping out. Someone always comes in and gets angry about people wanting to have babies and to sperg about how they don’t understand the adoption process but you’re literally hitler when you can’t adopt or get ivf. Fuck those people.
Imma high functioning autist so I’d be shit outta luck despite wanting children. Feels bad but it’s understandable. I don’t disagree with it in cases where the kid will have anencephaly or ameliorated limbs or be really retarded. There’s zero quality of life for some babies and it’s cruel imo to carry those pregnancies to term and birth a suffering baby.
Are you talking forced sterilisations? Forced abortions? Or a less aggressive method?
Yeah nah I’m with you anon.
Forced anything I’m not okay with but there definitely needs to be more responsibility on the part of people having kids.
Genetic screens, mental health, financial security, and general parenting abilities should be confirmed before someone gets knocked up. Too many people in my town, my age, have at least one kid and none of them can handle it.
Unvaxxed kids, four year olds wearing nappies and owning pacifiers who can’t speak in full sentences, school-age kids who can’t write their own name, mum and dad smoking bongs in the kitchen while making kids dinner. It’s disgusting.
I will add that most people I’ve seen discussing this stuff who have disabilities are very against the idea of passing on their abnormal genes. More often ime it’s the Christian fundies bleating that their baby’s status epilepticus is a blessing.
They’re hurting people just by reinforcing their ideology, surely you can see that anon. The entire idea that a man can become a woman puts our safety and rights at risk, people will always put the men’s feelings and entitlements above women’s well being.
I’m centrist, and I don’t like the idea that ‘if it doesn’t hurt anyone, it’s fine’ because people never seem to realise that this means people outside of your immediate contact as well - the promotion of some lifestyles and ideas will always harm others, whether you mean for it to or not
I agree. I have no real problem with trans people as long as they're not trying to silence cis women, force us into sex, insult us, attack us, belittle us, etc. The problem is that all those things are even done by cis men, so the closer in proximity you are to a trans woman (who, at "her" core, is really just a conflicted, mentally ill man trying to find peace and self-acceptance somehow), the more risks will pop up. Individually, though, I don't take issue until something comes up.
I do think it'll be funny if society ever starts to document trans women as the exact same as cis women, and rates of "female" rapists, murderers, assaulters, burglars, etc skyrocket, though. Everyone will know exactly "why" and "who" is driving those numbers up, but they'll be too afraid to say it.
Guessing that you’re lucky enough to not have seen the hundreds of claims that ‘estrogen made me bad at maths teehee!’ Or ‘I’m more woman than you!’ Or all the crying that lesbians are oppressing them by not wanting their girldicks. How about the ones who scream at women for pointing out that they don’t have pms?
They’re reinforcing the worst stereotypes of women and literally erasing female spaces. The sort of people who say planned parenthood is too focused on women are not the sort of people society needs, no matter how they self identify.
Feminist, Ivanka Trump.
You can only pick one, cause the woman supporting less access to abortion is as far from feminist as you can get.
That’s already happening in the UK, and surprise surprise nobody talks about it. Just people going ‘See, women are violent too!!!’
And don’t call us cis. We’re women. They’re the other, there’s no need for a word to distinguish a woman from a transwoman as trans already differentiates them
File: 1546914843601.jpeg (54.79 KB, 450x450, dfc4087e-2af0-4eed-afa1-9a3ec8…)
Lean cuisines are delicious. I prefer them over the similarly priced Stouffers frozen entrees that are triple the calories.
they already do, when the the bathroom thing came out several years ago, I kept pointing out cases of troons assaulting people in the bathroom, of course libfems came in ranting about how "ooo poor oppressed trans are actually the ones getting assualted not vice versa"
women aren't even allowed to talk about getting assaulted without men screaming how we're all evil liars who are trying to ruin poor innocent mens lives, but a troon, or a male in general can tell the most ridiculous and obvious lie story ever, and be believed no questions asked, as well as everyone else coming in and screaming "see? ebul ebin are just as bad as men" card, when will women ever be able to talk about issues without someone coming in and playing victim?
Not really involved in the conversation, but I do believe they are victims of violence but
that the violence is perpetuated by men, and nowhere near as much as how women are subjects of violence by men.
Men slaughter MtF trans all the time. For this reason, we still need to acknowledge that men wanting to be recognized as women are still biological men
I think FtMs are harmless.
File: 1546923225585.jpeg (154.27 KB, 696x767, A9CD1378-3012-46FF-8965-5A050D…)
Not surprised in the least. Unreal that so many women are supporting men being allowed in women’s places. >>350654
I know men are the main perpetrators, that’s why men who call themselves women shouldn’t be allowed near women’s changig rooms or loos.
They’re all harmful in that they’re perpetuating creepy gender stereotypes and normalising mental illness imo.
Not deserving or maiming or murder, just not welcome in women’s places.
File: 1546924571176.png (211.69 KB, 461x437, 1542065197143.png)
I thought this thread was called "Unpopular Opinion Thread #13" and not "Gender Critical Thread #634747457"
Complains about discussion of an unpopular opinion in an unpopular opinion thread.
The rest of the Internet loves to race each other to swoon over troons.
File: 1546926150441.gif (667.9 KB, 312x207, tumblr_muw2ehEeC21r7q8gjo1_400…)
lol reminds me of the girl scout troop that gets disqualified in dodgeball
Somehow all that arm hair is still more feminine that the handball players face and chest.
That bloke is making all of Australia look like assholes rn.
File: 1546930545278.jpg (22.94 KB, 229x275, original.jpg)
i don't know the intentions of the artist or that anon but it's from crystal cafe
Depends entirely on individuals functionality.
Severe autism is a curse on everyone living with it, high functioning is just a bit weird.
T. High functioning autist.
>>350730>women can't ever draw cleavage or boobs
Can't believe I've been banned from drawing titty now.
I'll have to stick with the boy butts I guess.
File: 1546963139286.png (430.06 KB, 500x570, 3HRAzAVh2TrOXzHnje8ffET4esdXWM…)
The stay hydrated and nourished uwu meme is annoying and I hate it.
Not an unpopular opinion. That's outrage culture for you and why online debates for racism are quite pointless. Whether it's an Asian pointing their fingers at a white person, a black person pointing their fingers at Asians etc., at some point you just stop taking these things seriously because everybody is equally selfish and expects others to care about their issues without reciprocrating.
I also see the same thing with men who explode at the smallest criticism aimed at them but insult and blame women for all their problems. They want to have all the freedom to criticize other people but are unwilling to examine themselves and get defensive instead.
File: 1547077029828.png (459.05 KB, 691x422, sargon.PNG)
>shitgon of assod trying to spread the "women don't care about looks!" Meme to incels.
Great. Everyone prepare to be harassed by a bunch of ugly goblins who think they're suddenly desirable because they "worked on their personality " | {
"date": "2019-03-22T01:54:35Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202589.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20190322014319-20190322040319-00060.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.967032253742218,
"token_count": 32858,
"url": "https://lolcow.farm/ot/res/344169.html"
} |
Shove a couple of bus tokens into your pocket and go down to Buddies to see this show. Shove It Down My Throat is Johnnie Walker’s latest play, which centres around the real-life Luke O’Donovan’s case. Luke was at a party, got queer-bashed/stabbed, stood up for himself by knifing 5 of his assailants back, and was subsequently convicted and jailed while his assailants walked free….. at least that’s one version of the story.
The play starts off in a set of Buddies’ dressing room (complete with a memory lane of posters of previous shows). Johnnie, playing himself is soon joined by a fantastic ensemble cast of gay stereotypes who appear from behind a magic mirror to help tell Johnnie’s cleverly written journey to ferret out the truth behind Luke’s story.
Throughout the trip, we are treated to several different variations of what happened that night. Most of the variations are convincing. The audience finds itself thinking “that’s definitely how it went down”, until the next variation which seems even more convincing.
As if to mirror the current climate at Buddies, two-thirds of the way through the first act, the “gay stereocast” is disrupted by a non-binary character making a grand entrance and rightly claiming their fair share of the space from then on.
The story steps in and out of the third wall, poking fun at itself intermittently. Johnnie is particularly good at being self-effacing. At one point when pondering if this was all really that important, he gets the responses from a cast member “Well you wrote a play about it!!!!”. These little breaks from the play’s reality are so much fun.
The story brings us to a cliff-hanger just before the intermission, because we find out that Johnnie is actually going to meet Luke (who is now out of prison), and get the real story. I’ve never more wanted there to be no intermission.
While we’re never sure which variation is the true one, by the end we’ve been fully entertained, we’ve been on a journey to find a truth, we’ve learnt a little, we’ve been allowed to laugh at current and past stereotypes without feeling guilty, we’ve even been able to laugh at ourselves. | {
"date": "2020-04-04T06:37:03Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370520039.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20200404042338-20200404072338-00352.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9707006812095642,
"token_count": 510,
"url": "http://thereadingsalon.ca/shove-it-down-my-throat-a-theme-and-variations/"
} |
Conrad Stewart seems to have his life under control and he works hard to keep people from knowing the truth. In fact, he is struggling to make ends meet and to pay for his medication. He is estranged from his family, working multiple jobs, and barely holding it together. The big bright spot in Con’s life is his love of Odyssey gaming. He is part of a group that plays regularly and whose participation in a popular Odyssey vlog has made them semi-celebrities in the gaming world. The only downside to his group is Alden Roth, who drives Conrad crazy with his prickly nature, constant bossiness, and the way he seemingly has the perfect life.
For Alden, his life is not all it seems either. His moms put constant pressure on him to achieve goals they have set, and they are driving his decisions about his future. Alden is neuro-diverse and doesn’t always know how to handle social situations. What’s worse is that his moms are determined to find out “what’s wrong” with Alden, rather than accepting him as he is. Alden wishes he fit in better with the Odyssey group, but he doesn’t quite know how to have that calm, casual attitude Conrad seems to radiate.
When the group gets an unexpected set of free tickets to one of the biggest Odyssey conferences, it seems like the perfect opportunity. The con includes a tournament and the winner gets a chance to be on the pro tour. For Con, this could put an end to all his money problems, as well as showing his family he can succeed without them. For Alden, winning would be a chance to pick his own direction for his future. When the group decides to road trip to Vegas for the event, both Alden and Con are wary about spending so much time together, considering they can barely tolerate each other’s presence. But the chance to win the tournament is too important to pass up.
At first things are rocky between the guys as they spend long days in the car together. But slowly, Alden and Con begin to get to know one another and soon realize that the perfect life they imagined for each other is really just a illusion. The pair start to bond and are surprised to find themselves becoming friends. As the days pass, that friendship begins to turn to more. But when the idyllic trip ends, Alden and Con are faced with having to compete against each other in a tournament that means everything to both of them. Now they have to figure out how to fight for the lives they want, while not losing each other.
I really enjoyed this latest release from Annabeth Albert. This story reminded me a lot of some of the author’s older works that I have loved and the set up here pushes all of my buttons, with its enemies to lovers, road trip plot (and only one bed!). Even knowing that Conrad and Alden would eventually make their way from feuding to loving, I really enjoyed the journey.
We know right from the start that both Con and Alden imagine the other lives a perfect life. Both men are dealing with jealousy and irritation, as well as stress about their own circumstances. Neither particularly wants to road trip together, but they both have their eye on the ultimate prize that they think will change their life. It is not a huge surprise that these guys end up learning a lot more about one another and realize that the image they have built up in their mind is far different from reality. But I think Albert does a really nice job developing this connection between the men in a way that keeps the plot device from feeling trite. The road trip they take builds a trust and a friendship between Con and Alden that gives them a chance to really open up about their lives and their frustrations. The progress from enemies, to friends, to lovers feels steady, but also developed with nice depth. I could believe in the strength of their feelings for one another in a short period given the intensity of the time they spend together.
While the main focus of this story is Alden and Con’s journey (both literal and emotional), gaming is a big element to the book overall. I am not a gamer in the least, and I did not find it overwhelming or hard to follow. At times, I’ll admit that I didn’t totally understand the strategies of their gameplay, but it didn’t really matter. Albert does a great job not only making the game accessible to readers, but also using it to showcase the characters. For example, Con’s style of play is very in keeping with the type of person he is, and it is showcased through the gaming scenes. All that said, if you are just totally not into the idea of gaming at all, you may find this less to your liking. But I really don’t think you need to be invested in the gaming world to enjoy this book.
As with many of Alberts’ other works, the author’s research really shows here. There is great detail, both of the Odyssey game itself (which the author created), as well as the various places the guys stop on the way to the conference. It really brings the whole story to life so nicely. I’ll also note that the book has a nice range of diversity, including Alden being a neuro-diverse character with a Jewish background, and having a non-binary side character (who I anticipate will get their own story at some point in the series).
So I really enjoyed this one a lot and found the tone and the story right up my alley. I am very excited about this series and I can’t wait for more. | {
"date": "2021-07-28T19:56:47Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153791.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20210728185528-20210728215528-00397.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9840570092201233,
"token_count": 1176,
"url": "https://joyfullyjay.com/2020/06/review-conventionally-yours-by-annabeth-albert/"
} |
California to become ‘abortion sanctuary’
California is planning to become an abortion sanctuary for Americans from other states as pro-abortion activists warn that many states could soon ban the practice.
In response to the possibility of the pro-abortion ‘Roe v. Wade’ Supreme Court decision of 1973 being overturned – which would result in more conservative states making abortion after a set number of weeks illegal – California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “We’ll be a sanctuary.”
“We are looking at ways to support that inevitability and looking at ways to expand our protections,” the governor revealed.
The California Future of Abortion Council, which is working with Newsom’s office, published a list of recommendations should other states outlaw abortion, including “investment in abortion funds,” improved medical transportation services, and an evaluation of “existing barriers to abortion care later in pregnancy.”
“It is imperative that California policymakers begin acting upon these recommendations and preparing the state to serve potentially millions more people seeking abortion care as other states prepare extreme bans to an essential health service,” the council warned, adding that California needs to take “meaningful action” to “ensure abortion is available and equitably accessible to all.”
In her own statement, California State Senate President Toni Atkins said the state would have to work to ensure that California remains “a beacon of hope for the rest of our nation” and “for ourselves, for our daughters and sons, our gender-fluid and non-binary loved ones, and all those who come after us.”
Pro-abortion activists have expressed fear that Roe v. Wade – which ruled women have a right to get an abortion without restriction – could be overturned as the Supreme Court appears likely to uphold a law in Mississippi that prohibits the majority of abortions after 15 weeks.
Activists fear that such a ruling would lead to other conservative states also implementing similar laws. | {
"date": "2023-06-01T13:03:05Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647810.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601110845-20230601140845-00078.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9594245553016663,
"token_count": 412,
"url": "https://www.rt.com/usa/542622-california-newsom-abortion-sanctuary/"
} |
The Metaverse Needs Copy Too.
If you’re anything like I was a couple of months ago, you understand the metaverse about as much as you understand the mating habits of prehistoric birds. Translation: not much.
It’s mind-boggling. And so amorphous. And as far as I’m concerned, cryptocurrency is like paying for things with unicorn teeth. I didn’t get it AT ALL…until I was approached to work on a fresh new female-led gaming studio that’s poised to take the Web3 world by storm—and look damn good doing it.
Introducing Muus Collective, a digital playground and entertainment studio for fashion fans eager to express themselves on an entirely new virtual plain. This team of high-wired visionaries is kicking open the metacloset door to invite more women and non-binary individuals into the fold. Because get this: 72% of crypto owners are men. Let’s change that, shall we?
Inclusive. Immersive. Inspired.
Muus Collective was founded by some of Web3’s leading ladies, and it’s their mission to make the metaverse more welcoming, more expressive and more fun with opportunities to earn and take ownership of your creations. The “muses” are currently working toward the launch of their flagship game, and I was all too happy to help them put language to their brand with a new tagline (WHERE CREATORS CONVERGE) and website. Bonus: they also have plans for a give-back element in the game, which I think we all agree is a pretty hot look.
The future is here, and more is coming.
I’m helping out with copy and brand language for the Collective’s upcoming game, so stay tuned for more news on that.
Also, if you want to work with some of coolest people in the world, they’re hiring.
Also also, it’s up to each of us to learn, understand and participate in the next-gen web in a way that makes sense for us. If you want to learn more, ask my girl Amanda. She rules. | {
"date": "2023-06-03T15:44:54Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649293.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603133129-20230603163129-00080.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9558581709861755,
"token_count": 455,
"url": "https://erinbosik.com/5823-2/"
} |
This piece was created in collaboration with research from drugscience.org.uk
At first glance, the title ‘a science of mysticism’ appears paradoxical. However, at its epistemological roots, science is considered by some schools of thought to be a product of the false dichotomy between the lens of the observer (psychology) and the observed laws of nature (philosophy).
This is important to acknowledge because in tackling a broad domain such as the ‘science of mysticism’ we must consider what defines both science and the mystical. The title deliberately communicates ‘a science’ as opposed to ‘the science’ – as one of multiple possible processes.
This article attempted to integrate polarities and bring some objectivism to an inherently subjective experience, communicated via variations in perspective and language, firstly by standardising the terminology. It then sought to reconcile the interplay between emergent and reductionist perspectives by both panning out (a holistic inter-disciplinary approach) and honing in (changes at a neurobiological level).
In doing so, the article touches upon the key role of the inter-dependence of the psychological and physiological, as manifested in the placebo / nocebo effect, or mind-body consciousness connection; alongside the elements of ritual, ceremony and narrative in such a process.
Language And Etymology
Mysticism remains relatively intangible and encompasses a variety of definitions including:
‘The experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality as reported by mystics; The belief that direct knowledge of spiritual truth or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (such as intuition or insight); A vague speculation or belief without substantial evidence; A theory postulating the possibility of direct and intuitive acquisition of ineffable knowledge’.
Its etymology stems via Latin from Greek: ‘mustēs’ – ‘initiated person’ and ‘muein’ – to close the eyes or lips. While modern science is the art of what can be observed, measured, repeated, and rationalised, this etymology perhaps hints at the irrational half of experience – such as what may be unconscious, intuitive, imagined or felt.
A critical definitional feature of the mystical is a sense of unity, or becoming one with all that exists. This is reminiscent of the subjective accounts of ‘ego dissolution’ – an experience commonly referenced by those that undergo psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in clinical trials.
Stace (1960) makes a distinction between ‘extrovertive’ and ‘introvertive’ mystical unity. He defines the extrovertive experience as involving recognition of oneness with all (finding unity at the core of the inner subjectivity of all things despite apparent individual identity and separation) and the introvertive experience as a complete dissolution of the self and individual identity.
Introvertive experience involves a unity that is otherwise devoid of content, sometimes referred to as ‘the void’. While both types are considered experiences of mystical unity, Stace considered extrovertive unity as an ‘incomplete kind of experience which finds its completion and fulfilment in the introvertive experience’.
He went on to describe six other dimensions of mystical experience: sacredness (a sense that what is encountered is holy or sacred), noetic quality (imbued with an aspect of meaning and a sense that what is encountered is more real than everyday reality), deep positive mood, paradoxicality and transcendence of both time and space.
As such an experience wears so many faces, making it challenging to cover every aspect in any depth – the overall aim was to touch upon commonalities across the findings from different disciplines, and unite this grey zone full circle under the modern definition and timeless etymology of ‘mysticism’.
While the integrative lens purports the benefits of a lack of separation between silos, each category has been emphasised using the headings below. It is acknowledged that this method is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete, but it aims to bring some form of calibration and structure to perspective, while leaving scope for personalisation through modification of the underlying assumptions, interpretation and belief.
Frequently referred to as ineffable, ‘ego-dissolution’ experiences are often described as a feeling of ‘oneness’: entering into a new state of consciousness beyond the limits of identity that generates sentiments of interconnectedness and being a part of a larger whole.
From a scientific perspective, hallucinogen-related changes in brain areas cannot be taken as absolute markers of mystical experience, since not all experiences with classic hallucinogens are currently considered ‘mystical’.
Spontaneous or organic experience (without the assistance of substances) are also possible, and 5HT2a receptor agonism may play only an initiatory role in the brain processes that account for, or correlate with mystical experiences.
Therefore the literature on the neural correlates of classic hallucinogens alone is believed to be insufficient to provide a complete model of the neural basis of mystical experiences. One approach additionally considers the impact of practices such as meditation, which can also initiate such experiences.
Just as the placebo effect provokes endogenous healing responses, psychedelic medicines along with traditionally spiritual practices such as meditation and yoga, can activate both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, creating shifts in activity and balance within the autonomic nervous system.
These shifts are found in many ritualistic treatment processes involving altered states of consciousness, and are showing promise in relieving some of the symptoms of stress (chronic overstimulation of the sympathetic system).
In the modern era, it has become a rare feat to maintain a parasympathetic dominant state, which would allow for an intense internal focus of attention. It may be this internal locus that could be at the heart of the introvertive mystical experience, with its defining non-spatial and non-temporal aspects.
Such a phenomenology possesses links to the notion of panpsychism. In the philosophy of mind, panpsychism is the view that ‘mentality is fundamental and ubiquitous in the natural world’ – that a mind, or a mind-like aspect (consciousness) is a ubiquitous feature of reality or awareness. Due to the circular nature of prevailing paradigms, it is also being found that psychedelic-use encourages the adoption of this view.
Descartes is considered one of the first Western philosophers to have identified the mind with consciousness and self-awareness, and to have distinguished this from the brain, as the seat of intelligence. This laid the groundwork for the mind-body problem as it exists today: the explanation of the relationship that exists between minds or mental processes, and bodily states or processes.
This concerns the question of how it can be possible for conscious experiences to arise out of a lump of grey matter endowed with nothing but electrochemical properties, or how an individual’s propositional attitudes (e.g. desires and beliefs) affect that individuals’ responses on a neurochemical basis.
Dualism is a set of views about the relationship between mind and matter (or body). One of the earliest known formulations of mind-body dualism was expressed in the Eastern Samkhya and Yoga schools of Hindu philosophy, which divided the world into purusha (mind / spirit) and prakriti (material substance).
Later figures such as the philosopher of science Roy Bhaskar came to advocate for the consideration of ‘spiritual’ thought and experiences as a constant feature of everyday life: arguing that even a successful act of communication is, in effect, an example of the spiritual principle of non-duality, where both parties become, momentarily, the same person.
This communication and synchrony is not limited to the verbal. The animal kingdom abounds with examples of groups functioning as a single whole: schools of fish, flocks of birds, ant and bee colonies work together and interact with their inorganic surroundings as an emergent organism.
We see a similar notion repeated in different phrasing through the lens of transpersonal psychology, which is more inclusive of anecdotal and phenomenological evidence. Here, psychological healing is evidenced by the enhancement of human wellbeing through the experience of elements of the psyche as deriving from relationships with ecological dimensions and nature.
Again, some transpersonal healing is achieved by temporarily shifting consciousness beyond the limits of identity construction, the influence of which can produce a personal metamorphosis through a rebalancing at physiological, emotional, psychological and spiritual (existential) levels.
This suggests that a holistic systems science of the nervous system includes a neurophenomenological perspective in which psychological changes produce physiological effects that produce experiences, and vice versa. A metaphoric logic of transformation is based on effects that are provoked physiologically and interpreted culturally, which shall be touched upon in more detail below (medical anthropology).
In this sense, such treatment ideologies illustrate the intersection of transpersonal psychology and ecopsychology, whereby humans and nature are part of a larger transpersonal whole, similar to the Gaia hypothesis proposed by scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock.
The Gaia hypothesis proposes that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self-regulating complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet. This emergent perspective was named after the ancient Greek personification of the Earth – Gaia.
This opens up further hypotheses as avenues for exploration, including the possibility of a psychoid principle in the theory of evolution.
History Of Science and Religion Meets Modern Mathematics
Mystical experiences are often confined to the realms of the spiritual, existential or religious because Newtonian science is based on objectivism and the Popperian philosophical foundation that you can only disprove something, not prove it. Whereas religion hinges on the ineffable and the notion that there are things that you cannot test.
However this year marks the 90th year of Kurt Gödel’s seminal and math-shattering paper ‘On Formally Undecidable Propositions Of Principia Mathematica and Related Systems I’, which provides evidence for the incompleteness of formal logic (initially for first order logic, but extended to all higher forms) – demonstrating that not all Truths that can be stated in a logic system are Decidable or Provable.
After encoding the formal limits by defining mathematical completeness, Gödel went on to show the absolute limits of any mathematical system using what has come to be known as Gödel numbering. This has already revolutionised the fields of mathematics and quantum computing, and its next target could be its implications within the fields of biology and bioengineering.
Many areas exploring the mechanisms behind life are affected by biological constraints and opportunities; they are also affected by the intrinsic incompleteness of biological systems and their bult-in (logic) capacity to handle all situations from ageing to inflammatory disorders.
This suggests that both scientific and religious philosophies can co-exist. Changes in perspective could be brought about by the shift from applying a reductionist, closed systems lens to biological processes, and moving towards a multi-dimensional emergent perspective with an integrative interdisciplinary approach.
In an era where we are beginning to find evidence for the beneficial impacts of ancient traditions such as meditation on mental health, simply regarding such wisdom as primitive could be a costly mistake.
The idea that science and religion (as evidence or experience of the existential) exist on polar ends of the spectrum is a modern misconception. In many ways, science has come to represent the secular religion of the west, however scientists practicing a diverse array of faiths have contributed to the rise of the scientific revolution. This demonstrates the impact of cultural container in framing the interpretation of findings.
Medical Anthropology (Cultural Container)
With the debate still open as to whether many psychiatric diagnoses are truly universal, or relative to the prevailing culture, tools such as entheogens help us to better question what it means to live the human experience, across a spectrum that does not respect the borders of the binary.
Culture influences our behaviours in diverse ways. It consists of the social ethics, principles or morals seen in society, and manifests as a way of living that encompasses beliefs, values, customs, language and traditions. This provides the lens necessary for understanding how mind, mental illness, and abnormal behaviour are studied differently in varying cultural contexts.
Within the medical sphere, there are 3 main components to consider: the culture of the patient, the physician and the medical culture within which treatment is practised. This can affect the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment expectations, compliance, and presentation.
An illustrative example of this is ‘culture-bound’ syndromes – which often have a special relationship with their setting. Culture-bound syndromes show few objective biochemical or structural alterations of organs or functions, but are a mix of behavioural and somatic symptoms.
For example ‘Ghost Sickness’ is a term used among the Navajo of North America to describe a preoccupation with the deceased. This manifests as loss of appetite, suffocation, recurring nightmares, and anxiety; culturally it may be associated with experiences of ghosts or witches.
There are a variety of mainstream psychological theories about ‘ghosts’ and ‘spirits’ – emotional energies which may be viewed as being directly or indirectly related to the cause of an event, accident or illness.
Alternative interpretations of symptoms affect subsequent approaches to treatment. For example in Creek culture, purification rituals for mourning focus on moving an energy called ‘Ibofanga’ which is supposedly obstructed between mind, body and spirit – causing prolonged emotional and physical drain.
The prevailing paradigm and culture is therefore the container framing the entire experience of mental health for both the patient and clinician – moulding the interpretations of thoughts, emotions and behaviours that rise to the level of symptoms.
While cultural variations are broad and diverse across the globe, on a reductionist level, some researchers believe that there are fundamental similarities in spiritual experiences that could reflect innate brain processes in the neurobiology of the human species.
One common reference is the mechanism of action that is initiated through activation of the 5-HT2A receptor and likely involves downstream glutamate effects. This also involves the endocannabinoid system – an equally extensive systems science with emergent properties, the precise molecular components of which are only just emerging.
Integrative Neurobiology In Practice
A modern intervention that demonstrates the success of integrating a variety of disciplines and perspectives is that of the treatment of addiction. A paradoxical situation exists in the fundamental role of spirituality in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the acceptance of this approach by mainstream biomedicine.
The AA, an avowedly religious or psychospiritual approach to overcoming addictions, is the treatment of choice for what medicine still categorises as a predominantly physiological disease.
The contradiction between the mainstream definition of addiction as biochemical and the predominant treatment modality based on spiritual healing, has some resolution in a framework that understands the interplay between ritualistic approaches to the narrative of existential experiences, alongside their neurological foundations.
Treatment results indicate that psycho-biological perspectives are useful both as a prophylactic against addictive behaviours, as well as potential treatment. They can provide an alternative source of transcendence, and facilitate a smoother transition to the path of recovery.
Many forms of altered states of consciousness such as drumming groups, shamanic circles and group meditation also provide a like-minded social support community and set of activities to occupy the time and energy of participants. Creating a social reference group to affect behaviour and sense of self can be central to the self-transformations underlying recovery.
It is the added intangible elements of faith / belief and emotional connection that are the existential features provoking endogenous healing responses. This is supported by studies demonstrating that placebo (mind) and drug (body) are not separate, psychological and physiological processes, rather they are part of a highly complex integrated systems interaction between consciousness, genetics, environment, and the types of substances being used.
The difficulty with such phenomena has currently been the lack of molecular measurability. Current theories as to how the mind-body consciousness connection operates are based along the lines of the Pavlov’s dog effect. However the precise molecules involved in things such as conditioning, expectancy or emotion are still poorly understood.
The emergence of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and its potential to transform the medical model could be leading us towards a new paradigm that bridges the gaps between quantifiable Hippocratic (biochemical – rational) and intangible Asclepian (emotional – irrational) dimensions.
Dr Ted Kaptchuk is a professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard and Director of the Harvard-wide programme in Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter. His findings demonstrate that the positive results of placebo were strongest in patients that received the most warmth and care. The encounter itself provoked a biological response, and the more intense and focused, the more healing it evoked.
It has become standard practice to measure the efficacy of a drug by isolating the imagination. The paradox therefore, is that the placebo effect is treated as an important part of every treatment, but is not given the same respect as a stand-alone option or even extensively used in synergy with medication to improve current practices.
However, according to Dr Kaptchuk it would be a mistake to reduce the placebo response to just its molecules, as measuring it quantitatively in this way transforms it into something other than what it is. For example, it could be akin to reducing an intangible holistic process such as ‘love’ to its constituent hormones and molecules.
Art And Aesthetics
A picture says a thousand words – while language is a tool for progress, collaboration and communication, it can simultaneously be one of division and limitation.
In Japenese Aesthetics, the notion of ‘wabi-sabi’ is the culture, philosophy, art form or perhaps altered state of consciousness that captures the concept of that which is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.
Wabi-sabi tends to be portrayed in both man-made and natural objects that symbolise the quirks and anomalies in things. It is indicative of natural processes that result in objects that are irregular or ambiguous.
‘Sabi’ refers to the influence of time on objects. Objects are ‘sabi’ if they have on them, the imprint of natural forces – resulting in flaws, irregularities and a constant state of change and flux.
For centuries, art has been used to portray that which is sacred or mysterious, and to capture the state of consciousness of the prevailing culture. It is open to subjective interpretation, evokes different responses in different people, and has the ability to tell a new set of stories through emergent properties.
A Holistic Systems Science
We know that everything is more than just the sum of its parts, and there is surmounting evidence for a holistic systems science of the nervous system that is inclusive of cognition and consciousness; replacing the monolithic concept of psyche with an integrated systems operation of information, mind, self and life.
‘A science of mysticism’ is in many respects synonymous with ‘a science of experience’, or a science of the imagination. This can include non-ordinary states of consciousness that seem entirely irrational or ‘magical’, but can also encompass feelings and emotions, and the meaning that we ascribe to certain sensations or events. Such a picture could not be limited to the scope of one dominant silo, context, or a reductionist molecular theory, despite these being no less important.
Integrating polarities forces us to find the common ground located in the grey zone. It suggests that we can often be left with a paradoxical perspective that accommodates both sides in a non-binary manner. The incompleteness of such a spectrum builds a more complete picture that helps science to tackle some of the areas that still have question marks hovering above them today.
This includes the domain of the mind-body consciousness connection (placebo and nocebo) and the limitations of the definition of ‘non-psychoactive’ – for example caffeine and entertainment equally alter consciousness and physiologically provoke effects in the endocannabinoid system.
It is for this reason that some of the sources above include practices such as the ritualistic application of Kambo, which is typically considered ‘non-psychoactive’ but can still instigate ‘mystical’ experiences in participants, including ‘ego-dissolution’ and the dispersal of symptoms of depression – in line with the personal beliefs and value-orientations of the participants.
Such substances also highlight the importance of connection, narrative and ritual in symbolic healing processes, which vary depending on the cultural container. It is believed by some researchers that these processes of myth, archetype and metaphor represent the social, bodily and psychological domains respectively.
When it comes to modern methods for managing mental health, integrative solutions already champion the benefits of a personalised, bio-psycho-social approach to sustainable outcomes in chronic care. However a truly integrative approach is not limited to secular scientific departments, but equally extends an arm into the humanities and the existential.
In the quest for answers, we are often only presented with further questions – and this process, as opposed to event, is one of collaboration and co-creation where paradoxical truths can find unity in diversity by reconsidering their underlying assumptions, in order to adopt alternative perspectives based on the cultural container.
As we look forwards towards a horizon where the branches of science and technology are set to deliver exponential rates of progress and intelligence, perhaps there is equal weighting to be found in glancing back towards some of the ancient wisdom traditions and symbolism of our long-forgotten roots. | {
"date": "2023-06-10T05:14:53Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656963.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610030340-20230610060340-00487.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9363675117492676,
"token_count": 4522,
"url": "https://niafaraway.com/a-science-of-mysticism/"
} |
Gia Fagnelli & Jordan Harris Freshworks Showing: Moving Meditations – Kinaesthetics
Friday, May 7, 7:00pm
Join us on Zoom! Pay What Makes You Happy!
Gia Fagnelli is a third-generation yinzer, the current reigning Mx. Innovative at the Portland Erotic City Awards, and a writer, speaker, death doula, video producer, actor, performer and extraterrestrial gender experiment who combines the arts of drag, pole, prose, video, sound, installation and movement and transmits the amalgam to screens and stages across the galaxy. Jordan Harris is an experimental movement artist, aerialist, choreographer, dance instructor, and drag artist currently working in both Pittsburgh, PA and Austin, TX. The artists collaboration proposes a meditation tool for community members in the worlds of drag, art, and sex work, exploring queer creative alchemy, gender identity, and the intimacy and isolation of performing digitally. Moving Meditations – Kinaesthetics features movements and a healing soundscape by Pittsburgh’s slowdanger.
Gia Fagnelli is a third generation yinzer, the current reigning Mx. Innovative at the Portland Erotic City Awards and a writer, speaker, death doula, video producer, actor, performer and extraterrestrial gender experiment who combines the arts of drag, pole, prose, video, sound, installation and movement and transmits the amalgam to screens and stages across the galaxy. As a video producer Gia has produced numerous full and short length, non-narrative film, music videos, legacy videos, and commercial projects for clients globally. Gia Fagnelli’s video and performance work have been installed featured and screened at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Miami Beach Art Basel, Spearmint Rhino, Rainbow Bath House, Creative Mornings Pittsburgh, Club Cafe, The Glitter Box Theater, The Kelly Strayhorn Theater along with Florida’s esteemed Parliament House and Brooklyn’s House of Yes. As a death doula, Gia assumes the role of end of life care to the dying and afterlife caregiver to the living members of his communities experiencing grief and death and acts as a therapeutic and meditative guide to healing for his communities.
Jordan Harris is an experimental movement artist, aerialist, choreographer, dance instructor, and drag artist currently working in both Pittsburgh, PA and Austin, TX. Jordan bends worlds of androgyny and surrealism to create experiences that are deeply human while conducting a futuristic cyborgian power through their ch and character work.
anna thompson and taylor knight, are co-founders of performance entity, slowdanger. Together, they fuse sound and movement through contemporary and postmodern dance frameworks, using integrative technology, vocalization, and ontological examination to engage in collaborative work. Performers manifest as a non-binary entity that is one body amassed of multiple bodies in space. slowdanger continuously transforms its shape to adapt to a variety of different containers with the shared intention of providing embodied, visceral experiences for their audiences. slowdanger has been featured in Dance Magazine’s ‘ 25 to Watch’, The MoMA, The Andy Warhol Museum, Springboard Danse Montreal, Usine C, Dance Place and more. They were Creatives in Residence at the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at CMU and Performers in Residence at the Carnegie Museum of Art in 2019. slowdanger has received support from The Foundation for Contemporary Arts, The Heinz Endowments, The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and The Opportunity Fund. Currently, taylor and anna are Adjunct Professors of Dance at Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Lena Chen & Maggie Oates
Freshworks Residency Presentation
Friday, April 2, 7:00pm
Join us on Crowdcast! | Pay What Makes You Happy!
Chen and Oates will create a digital performance work, taking the form of a non-linear game that critically examines the policing of marginalized bodies and sexual labor to empathetically teach people about discrimination faced by sex workers on the Internet. | {
"date": "2023-06-08T14:45:13Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655027.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608135911-20230608165911-00288.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9153727293014526,
"token_count": 886,
"url": "https://kelly-strayhorn.org/events/moving-mediations/"
} |
By now you may have heard about how a Christian author says “masturbation is a direct path to Satan.”
I’m a pretty firm believer in the fact that masturbation is a natural, healthy expression of sexuality, and I’ll direct you to some resources at the bottom of this post if you want more information about it. But what I really want to talk about here is the claim that “Dildos and all of those other sex toys have been used for thousands of years in demonic sex rituals.”
While I don’t have the background in ancient religious history to debate that statement, I will say this: sex toys have medical uses, and it’s important not to lose sight of that fact in the furor over this issue.
The Mayo Clinic lists a number of conditions under the heading dyspareunia (or painful sexual intercourse). To take one example, vaginismus is a serious condition that impacts many women, making sexual intercourse painful if not impossible. The vaginal muscles spasm uncontrollably, and as part of treatment, dildos called dilators are used to stretch the tight muscles, hopefully getting them accommodated to contact.
Other medical issues are treated with dilators as well; the site Vaginismus.com lists a number of “post-surgical recovery programs and conditions such as dyspareunia, vaginal narrowing, vaginal agenesis, vaginal atrophy, age related problems/changes, reconditioning the vagina after long periods of no sex, and other similar gynecological issues.” Some medical centers recommend them for post-menopausal women who experience painful vaginal tightness.In intersex people (those whose bodies do not conform precisely to dualistic definitions of male/female anatomy; it’s estimated that 1-2 out of 1,000 births do not fit the medical standard of binary anatomical conformity), certain conditions lead to incompletely developed vaginas. Dilator therapy is an option for those wishing to normalize their vaginas without (or before) attempting surgery.
Additionally, though this isn’t likely to win any friends among conservatives or bigots, some trans women use a dilator after a vaginoplasty to maintain the structures of their vaginas.
In short, to tell women that they shouldn’t use dildos to therapeutically treat their vaginas is misogynist, just another way of denying women control over their bodies and their lives. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cisgender woman, a trans woman, an intersex woman, or a non-binary person who may or may not have a vagina – I support women and, really, all people who want to use medical and/or sexual technologies to enhance their living.
Hopefully y’all are on board with me to this point. For those who want a bit more info about the health benefits of masturbation, check out these links:
- Is Masturbation Okay? (Yep) on Scarleteen.com
- Planned Parenthood dispels some stereotypes about masturbation here
- Check out Betty Dodson’s masturbation tag on her site for tons of Q&As, tips, and more
…Oh, and apparently Ted Cruz tried to ban dildos in Texas one time. I’m guessing nobody told him about vaginismus either. | {
"date": "2020-04-02T17:44:28Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370507738.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20200402173940-20200402203940-00534.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9335849285125732,
"token_count": 700,
"url": "https://www.patheos.com/blogs/foxyfolklorist/psa-from-a-sex-educator-dildos-have-medical-uses/"
} |
On Thursday, Ben Carson pitched an idea for which bathroom transgender people should use: "How about we have a transgender bathroom?" the Republican presidential candidate told Fusion's Jorge Ramos. "It's not fair for them to make everybody else uncomfortable."
Unsurprisingly, LGBTQ advocacy groups were not happy with the idea. HRC blasted Carson's proposal in a statement, arguing that it's tantamount to segregation: "Ben Carson can't go a week without invoking reckless and irresponsible stereotypes about the LGBT community, and his suggestion that transgender people be required to use segregated bathrooms echoes an ugly past our country should never revisit."
But more than that, Carson's comments fundamentally misunderstand what it means to be transgender.
Most transgender people identify as men or women, not a third gender
The majority of trans people explicitly identify as male or female — not part of a third gender. They are, for all intents and purposes, men and women. So placing them in a bathroom separate from men and women essentially rejects who they are and how they identify.
As Michael Hughes, a trans man, noted on Twitter, forcing trans people into the same bathroom as someone of the other gender could lead to some awkward situations:
#occupotty #wejustneedtopee #translivesmatter #guyslikeus #thankyouforthesupport pic.twitter.com/ZUGf2ckHkx— Michael C. Hughes (@_michaelhughes1) March 12, 2015
Emily Prince, a trans woman in Alexandria, Virginia, previously struggled with this type of misunderstanding over her gender identity while signing up for a therapy program. "The first line of the form asked for sex with three options: male, female, and transgender," she told me earlier this year. "Right there, we already have an issue. I'm a woman. I'm not some third sex. There are some non-binary people who don't fit into male or female, but you don't describe all trans people in that way."
Some people do identify as a different gender than male or female, but not all trans people do
As Prince alluded, some people — such as gender nonconforming and genderqueer communities — may identify outside the traditional boundaries of male or female. Although these forms of identity and expression are often associated with sexual orientation — think stereotypes of flamboyant gay men or butch lesbians — they're not intertwined.
Gender nonconforming people don't express their gender in a way society expects them to. Some gender nonconforming people might be androgynous, meaning they don't readily exhibit traits that can easily identify them as men or women. Men who exhibit feminine traits and women who express masculine characteristics may also identify as gender nonconforming.
Genderqueer people generally don't identify or express as men or women, sometimes borrowing gender roles and traits outside society's typical expectations and other times taking elements from both masculinity and femininity. Androgynous people can also fall into this category if they identify their gender as neither male nor female.
"Some people just don't think the term 'male' or 'female' fits for them," Mara Keisling, a trans woman and executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, previously told me.
But while genderqueer and gender nonconforming people may sometimes identify as trans, many trans people do not identify as genderqueer or gender nonconforming — and they don't want to be forced to use a separate bathroom. | {
"date": "2023-06-10T15:48:25Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224657720.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610131939-20230610161939-00099.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9554988145828247,
"token_count": 716,
"url": "https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/11/6/9678758/ben-carson-transgender-bathrooms"
} |
Greenpoint’s Tom Tom Magazine Takes on the World
In the seven years since its creation by founder and publisher Mindy Abovitz Monk, Greenpoint-based lady drummer publication Tom Tom magazine has gone from being a simple music blog to a media company consisting of a quarterly print issue, digital issue, website and creative collaborations and events with contributors from around the world. In their sun-drenched office in Greenpoint’s historic Pencil Factory, a metallic drum kit takes center stage, along with an oldschool ghetto blaster, brightly colored, hand-painted drumsticks (created by Mindy’s artist mother) and usually at least one office dog.
At a time when being a female drummer in some parts of the world can still lead to death threats or imprisonment, I sat down with Abovitz, her lead designer Marisa Kurk (featured on the cover of the magazine’s current Nepotism issue) and Pippa Kelmenson who runs the Tom Tom office to chat about music, their magazine serving as a metaphor for anyone wanting to do anything they’re told they can’t do and what being based in Greenpoint brings to their work.
Greenpointers: How did Tom Tom start?
Mindy Abovitz Monk: In 2009, I was working at East Village Radio in the city and I had already been a drummer in New York for about seven years. I had volunteered at Rock Camp for Girls and I also experienced Riot grrrl as it was happening as a teenager and that had brought me to music in the first place. Around 2009 Riot grrrl was seeing a resurgence. People my age and people younger than me were becoming inspired by a movement that had already inspired me. It gave me anxiety thinking that possibly nothing had changed since I was a teenager in the effort to encourage girls and women to be the rock stars that we are.
MAM: At the time, I was also coding, and Google was a big thing and everyone was on Facebook, so I google searched ‘girl drummer’, ‘female drummer’ and ‘woman drummer’, which was how I identified. All of the results were really poor which didn’t reflect the reality that I knew to be true based on all of my experiences in New York City and touring as a musician. I decided that from my job at East Village Radio at night I would start a website and start to code and tag the articles appropriately so that anyone anywhere in the world could type in the words ‘girl drummer’ and they could get an article back that was relevant to girls and drumming. That was the initial goal in 2009 and then there was a domino effect into what we are today which is a print magazine.
GP: It seems like you have contributors from all around the world contributing to Tom Tom now?
MAM: Marisa, Pippa and myself are staff and we have about four more staff members, but then we have hundreds of freelancers and contributors from all over the world who have put some kind of effort into organizing, spreading the word and growing our community.
GP: How do you go from a few people in a room in New York to having that kind of reach around the world?
MAM: Really organically. We’ve been in Greenpoint for a while now, but we started in a tent in Chelsea as part of an art project where we taught drums for half the day for free and then ran the magazine for people to watch publicly. Since then, we’ve been in offices that look like the one we’re in now. My favorite office was when we were at the top of Danbro Studios in Bushwick because at any given moment there were 500 musicians in the building and we’d be on the top floor doing our work, but there would be drums and saxophones coming through the pipes and a metal band that played at 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays but it was so much what we do.
Marisa Kurk: I loved that office too, but I think this particular office in the Pencil Factory is really great, because it’s so bright in here and we have a drum set and a couch and I can bring my dog Harriet and we don’t have to carry magazines up eight flights of stairs, so that’s a bonus. And there’s a recording studio two walls over, so they play drums too.
GP: Is there anyone at Tom Tom who doesn’t play the drums?
MAM: Yes, but there are so few. They know who they are and they sheepishly run around saying ‘but I play saxophone or I play trombone!’. It’s weird how few there are here who don’t play drums. We’re also a majority of ladies in the company. I think everyone’s a musician though, maybe not Liz our Managing Editor who is amazing, but I don’t think she plays anything. We’re outing her.
GP: What was the main thing that you hoped Tom Tom would change in terms of the way female drummers are seen?
MAM: Well, number one, they just were not seen. People didn’t think female drummers even existed and honestly we’re still working at this because there are still people who don’t believe that we drum. So now there’s this dichotomy between 2009 where I just wanted to prove that we exist and now in 2017 we’re still proving we exist to some people, and then the rest of the work we’re doing is to get more girls, women, guys, gender non-binary folks to feel confident doing anything that they want to do.
The point of the magazine is to act as a metaphor for anything that someone is told that they can’t do based on what they look like or the body that they’re born into. We’re still fighting that and talking about that. Every time we’re talking about empowered females, which often times a drummer is, I think that helps push that agenda forward. Maybe you’re an astronomer, maybe you’re into physics, whatever it is, ideally you read our magazine and you think, these people broke through, these people didn’t care and they’re in a magazine. Look how cool they are! That’s our goal, to communicate that you can actually do anything that you want to do and someone’s going to put you in a magazine and celebrate you.
Pippa Kelmenson: I also think that in my experience, female drummers are often infantilized and sexualized to a ridiculous extent. It still happens to me that people will say, ‘Oh you’re a female drummer, that’s so cute’ or ‘Let me help you with your gear’ or ‘You’re really good for a girl’. It’s just crazy that women drummers don’t get the kind of recognition they deserve and we have to try harder than everyone else to get taken seriously.
GP: Quite a large number of your readers are men, what do you think is attracting them to the magazine?
MAM: I heard early on from a bunch of guys that what attracts them to the magazine is that for the most part we’re talking about average musicians. Often, regular drum magazines will show the same three dudes that have 45-piece kits and a drum tech everywhere they go and that’s not a reality for the majority of drummers and musicians. We have always been talking about the celebrated drummer, the brand new drummer, the basement drummer, the kid drummer. Women are taught to be humble for the most part, so we’re just talking about loading our gear into our vans ourselves and how we fix our heads. I think guys think that they’re getting real information about the music world that no one will talk about because they won’t feel like they’re famous or something. Also, guys are feminists. They’re also over seeing the same garbage. They’ve said to us that they love Tom Tom because it’s more a representation of reality and they don’t often see that.
GP: The magazine is now available all over the world—how important is it for you guys to have that global reach?
MAM: Issuu is where our print magazine is uploaded online and loads of people read the ‘print’ magazine that way and it’s free. I think the intention to be global and now the actual global aspects of our magazine couldn’t be more important. Initially, it was just to show our community, which was perceived to be so small, that on a global scale we’re really big. It ended up being the coolest part of what we do because we now have a family that spans everywhere. There are parts of the world where female drumming is still illegal and you could face death threats or rape threats or imprisonment or excommunication from your community if you play the drums. I love that we’re reporting on bands that break through or who are silenced and showing the rest of us who can do whatever we want all the time, that actually no, we’re all part of one group of people and there are many of us who can’t do what we want to do.
The other aspect of the magazine is that we’re trying to create good media, which means media that covers people of all ages, sexualities, gender representation, class, race and both English speakers and non-English speakers. I hope we’re making an example of media that could be replicated anywhere. The people who work on the magazine care a lot about what we’re doing and love what we’re getting at. They’re doing it because they want to be a part of this.
GP: How has the current political climate affected the way you think about the magazine?
MK: Immediately after the election, every single person at the magazine was like, holy shit, I’m happy that this exists, but now it needs to exist. This can never go away. We have to get stronger, which I think a lot of other publications feel that are doing the same thing as us.
MAM: Everything just feels more important. I’m noticing that the companies that work with us and the sponsors we work with are amping up their involvement with us. There seems to be a sense of urgency. We have always covered queer, gender non-binary folks in the magazine, but our current president consistently makes this environment unstable for everybody. We need everyone’s support to grow what we’re doing. The president is our biggest role model and our biggest role model would shut us down in a second. He would probably call us fake news. It’s one of those things where you’re not supported by the head of your country and it feels really weird, but that doesn’t stop us.
GP: What does basing the magazine in Greenpoint bring to the design and writing of the magazine?
MK: When I think of Greenpoint, I think minimalist, but at the same time, the photo shoot for our current issue was with Aelfie who are down the hall and they’re the opposite of that. They’re about crazy colors and patterns and they’re awesome.
MAM: When you walk outside our office in Greenpoint, it’s just relaxing and there’s great coffee and it feels like us. It’s like a mirror of what we’re doing. I particularly love the fact that Kickstarter is a block away because in my mind, we’re pushing some level of tech too and we’re innovating as well. We actually used Kickstarter when we first started. Greenpoint feels homey and unpretentious, while simultaneously feeling like a grown up version of Bushwick. At the local coffee shops you could bump into a tech developer or another magazine or another designer.
GP: How has the style of the magazine evolved over time?
MK: The last three or four issues we’ve really gone for it and changed it up a little, but hopefully it still feels like Tom Tom and it’s still recognizable to people. I feel like a lot of print magazines in the arts and niche market right now are beautiful and clean and minimalist, but drums aren’t very minimalist to me. Drumming is awesome and crazy and wild, so we’re kind of balancing the Greenpoint-design feel where everything is be clean and minimal, with punk rock. It should still be wild and fun. We have a lot of room and freedom to experiment.
MAM: I’m really grateful to be evolving alongside Marisa and working with her because I think she brings a very cool, young design-y plus punk vibe. I also think right now we have almost a skateboard vibe which is what I’ve always wanted. There’s a genderless energy that’s young and fun and really well-designed.
GP: What’s next for Tom Tom?
MAM: We have a big collaboration coming up with Moog synthesizers. I’m not sure how much I can say right now but it will be coinciding with Moogfest next year and we’ll be rolling out a beautiful collaboration in the next couple of months. We’ll be partnering with Pioneer Works [159 Pioneer St] next year if everything goes our way with a residency and we always do stuff with Ace Hotels and the museums like Brooklyn Museum and PS1. Also, Tommy at the Good Room [98 Meserole Ave] in Greenpoint is a friend of ours and we speak to him frequently about setting up events there. He just told us about a hotel and venue that they’ve opened upstate so we’ll probably collaborate with the Good Room guys to do some kind of festival up there.
Tom Tom are looking for street team members to help with distribution of the magazine, locally, nationally and globally. If you live in New York or you’re passing through and would like to get involved contact Pippa at [email protected] for more information. | {
"date": "2020-04-06T01:55:32Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371612531.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20200406004220-20200406034720-00545.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.973264217376709,
"token_count": 3011,
"url": "https://greenpointers.com/2017/08/29/greenpoints-tom-tom-magazine-takes-world/"
} |
by HRC Staff •
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is excited to join with over 20 partner organizations across the country to form the Choose Kindness Alliance. Together, in partnership with ABC, ESPN and The Walton Family Foundation, the project aims to build a culture of intentional inclusion and mental wellness that prevents bullying for young people everywhere.
The Choose Kindness Alliance is designed to foster collaboration and innovation among thought leaders in an effort to help them expand their reach and impact with youth, families, educators and coaches. Founding members of this growing Alliance include: AAKOMA Project, Act to Change, Ad Council, Anti-Defamation League, Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital, Facing History & Ourselves, Get in the Game, GLAAD, GLSEN, Hispanic Federation, Human Rights Campaign Foundation — Welcoming Schools, Kevin Love Fund, kindness.org, Lions Clubs International, Harvard University’s Making Caring Common, NAACP, National School Climate Center, Positive Coaching Alliance, and Special Olympics.
This is a sensitive and challenging time for LGBTQ+ youth. According to the Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health, 73% of LGBTQ+ youth reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety while 58% reported experiencing symptoms of depression.
Studies clearly demonstrate the harms for LGBTQ+ youth mental health when they are denied affirming and protective school environments:
LGBTQ+ students in schools with LGBTQ+ supporting clubs and sexual orientation & gender identity resources often report feeling safer and are less likely to report depressive symptom, substance use, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in comparison with students in schools lacking such resources.
While 86% of LGBTQ+ youth report they have been targets of bullying, harassment, or assault at school, studies have shown that bullying and harassment of LGBTQ+ youth contribute to high rates of absenteeism, dropout, adverse health consequences, and academic underachievement.
Here’s more detail on what the Alliance will do and what to look for in the coming weeks:
Elevating Best-in-Class Resources for Caring Adults: Dedicated accounts on Instagram @TheChooseKindnessProject, Twitter @ChooseKindness and Facebook @TheChooseKindnessProject will feature vetted resources, inspiring stories and research to support parents, teachers, coaches and other caring adults.
HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is a comprehensive, nationwide bias-based bullying prevention program that provides LGBTQ+ and gender inclusive professional development training, lesson plans, booklists and resources specifically designed for educators and youth-serving professionals. Our program uses an intersectional, anti-racist lens dedicated to actionable policies and practices. We uplift school communities with critical tools to embrace family diversity, create LGBTQ+ and gender inclusive schools, prevent bias-based bullying, and support transgender and non-binary students.
Are you a parent or educator looking for LGBTQ+-specific bullying prevention resources? You can find helpful information on this page:
100% of every HRC merchandise purchase fuels the fight for equality. | {
"date": "2023-06-04T15:07:10Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649986.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604125132-20230604155132-00513.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9134414196014404,
"token_count": 625,
"url": "https://www.hrc.org/news/hrc-announces-participation-in-the-choose-kindness-alliance-in-partnership-with-abc-and-espn"
} |
We live in an era dominated by on-line relationship and hookup culture. I undoubtedly benefit from the ‘on my phrases’ aspect of Bumble,” says Koby, a queer woman who has tried quite a lot of relationship apps before. I liked that after I matched with males on Bumble, they could not message me first, but when I matched with a girl or non-binary individual, either one of us may message first. It definitely reduces the situations of grossness or inappropriate solicitation,” she advised Teen Vogue.
Picking Sensible Systems For Gay Dating Site
Dudes Nude – That includes a brilliant simplistic design, this website’s pages aren’t too thrilling to have a look at. Once you get previous the homepage that includes a pretty, younger Adonis, there’s nothing out of the ordinary about Dudes Nudes. You can sign up for free and share pictures, videos, and profile into, and…that is about it. There are not any special gimmicks, no distinctive features, and there isn’t any area of interest or fetish that this platform is meant to attraction to. It’s no horrible or anything and definitely doesn’t seem to be a scam web site, but it ain’t anything special either. But like I’ve said before, in case you’re looking to maximize your probabilities of getting dates and dick, you might need to put up some profile data fast just in case.
It’s one of many largest homosexual dating apps and most homosexual guys appear to fall in either the Grindr or Scruff camps. Not quite a lot of guys use both. Scruff has also been on the forefront of plenty of the newest relationship app options (they usually had been one of the earliest to incorporate helpful LGBTQ journey features).
We`re certain, you undoubtedly don`t know many other gays: You probably have not been outed or just lately had you’re popping out, you in all probability do not know so many gays and do not know exactly where to find different gays. For those who stay within the countryside, it’s even more durable for you to meet somebody. Within the countryside, you cannot find contact with other homosexual people as quick as within the big cities. Trust yourself, stand by you and inform yourself concerning the meeting places for gays in your area.
This is the principle point when it comes to differences with Tinder. OkCupid collects way more details about you. Just answering the welcome questionnaire took me more than five minutes. The questions fluctuate from typical (e.g., attitude in direction of smoking) to highly intimate (like the number of dates you sometimes wait before having intercourse or would you fairly share a kiss in a tent or in Paris). Not only the profiles are proven to you primarily based on this information, but you can sort particular pursuits as search criteria. The app can display, let’s say, all the blokes into street-racing or tattoo-lovers only so it’s the best homosexual relationship app to make it exact.
Synonymous with online relationship, has somebody for everyone. Create a detailed profile, then discover your potential partner by a criteria search. You’ll be able to go on zen mode” to be solely contacted by those who meet your standards. This list is supposed to break down the most effective homosexual dating websites. No matter your wants are, it’s best to have the ability to find them satisfied by at least one among these websites. We’ll offer you all the information that you must aid you determine the site for you.
If you wish to meet gay black men on the fly, BlackPeopleMeet is usually a fantastic courting resource. This area of interest site connects African-American singles throughout North America. The varied database includes people of all ages, creeds, colors, and backgrounds. And it additionally welcomes singles of all orientations.
To help you discover your excellent match, EliteSingles has a special intelligent matchmaking process they use. They look for similarities and connections between the members of their web site, and share these potential matches with you. The DoubleTake feature will show you potential matches that meet the standards you set whenever you set up your account.
You may scroll via a virtually infinite record of horny images and movies and send flirts, chats, and pics to anyone who catches your eye. This discreet hookup website would not require folks to use their real names in the dating profiles, so you’ll be able to stay anonymous and within the closet while soliciting sex from hot guys.
In search of Association would possibly sound as an odd decide, since it’s a site that promotes the concept of mutually useful relationship between rich Sugar Daddies” and enticing and eager Sugar Infants”. The thing is, males may apply for a Sugar Baby status, which implies that for those who set your looking preferences proper, Seeking Association will operate as a homosexual relationship website. The service is known to have options serving to the negotiation” between the two person teams, as Sugar Daddies can buy and send precise actual life presents (akin to jewelry, luggage, sweets) from the Sugar Child’s gift desire checklist.
When courting websites came onto the scene in the 1990s, singles loved having the ability to meet people from the consolation of their own homes. When courting apps hit the Internet within the 2000s, singles may now discover that special somebody irrespective of the place they were. Thanks to their comfort and features like location-primarily based matching, relationship apps have develop into particularly common among gay males. All of the websites on this list have desktop and mobile variations, so you may date wherever, anytime, and anyway you want.
We may have many diverse singles on our dating web site, however they do have one factor in frequent: in relation to love, the single guys are in search gay com dating site of the real factor. This is the reason, after we counsel profiles to our customers to view, we achieve this with lengthy-term compatibility and, maybe, marriage in mind.
Day-after-day at Glad Hour we gives you Prospects to overview in The League app. We do our very best to solely show you to people who meet your preferences, AND the place you meet theirs, prioritized by individuals you even have an honest shot at conversing with. We do not consider in losing anyone’s time here.
All listeners to honest opinions of reputable gay relationship websites in current instances get an summary about how they’ll simplify their approach up to now likeminded gay males. They can compare web sites in this category based on the following parts and fulfil their wishes in regards to the gay dating. | {
"date": "2021-08-04T18:17:01Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154897.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20210804174229-20210804204229-00006.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9442924857139587,
"token_count": 1402,
"url": "https://ichiperucorporacion.com/2020/08/08/the-brand-new-angle-on-gay-dating-just-produced/"
} |
A blog about teaching Ovid’s Metamorphoses in a classical mythology course
In teaching the story of Hermaphroditus in Book 4 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses this week and explaining the origin of the term “hermaphrodite,” I thought a lot about what language I would use. Ovid’s stories can make readers feel less alone in any number of ways; my words as a professor can, too, or they can also make people feel stigmatized and isolated. In Ovid’s treatment, Hermaphroditus is sexualized before his metamorphosis and stigmatized afterwards, a figure of pity and fear. In fact, the Romans also stigmatized real people with intersex characteristics, as Classically Trained points out (with lots of examples from ancient literature), as signs of divine disfavor. Unfortunately, even many modern doctors are afraid of this natural phenomenon, mostly out of ignorance. Some feel a need to hide or surgically correct it, despite the medical fact that although biological sex may usually be binary, it is not always. Ovid, unwittingly or not, gives us a way to understand that through myth. I was excited to find a lot of research, much of it by undergraduate and graduate students, on non-binary gender and sexuality in the Met. available online. Hilary Ilkay wrote a great essay about reclaiming Hermaphroditus, and Sasha Barish’s beautiful Eidolon piece on gender dysphoria in the Met. discusses representation too. I needed articles like this to help me see Ovid’s poem through new eyes; my own knowledge and perspective weren’t sufficient. This is why diversity benefits the field of classics, and why new voices are always necessary to help us advance our understanding.
Reading Book 4, I found myself fascinated with the daughters of Minyas and the stories they tell. Book 3 ended with the punishment of Pentheus, who refused to acknowledge Bacchus’ divinity; the daughters of Minyas refuse also, and sit at home weaving and telling stories rather than joining the Dionysiac festivities. This can’t end well, even though sitting at home and weaving is usually the quintessentially virtuous thing for women to do in Greco-Roman stories. The Minyeides worship Minerva, a weaver herself, so they are pious as well as dutiful. Nevertheless, their patron goddess won’t protect them from their fate.
While we’re waiting for this loaded narrative gun to fire, though, the daughters of Minyas start to tell us some strange and twisted stories unlike what Ovid has been telling us so far. First, one daughter tells the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, a boy and girl who live next door to each other in Babylon and fall in love with each other as they speak through a wall, sight unseen (very “Love is Blind”).
Their parents could not keep them
From being in love; their nods and gestures showed it —
You know how fire suppressed burns all the fiercer.
There was a chink in the wall between the houses,
A flaw the careless builder had never noticed,
Nor anyone else, for many years, detected,
But the lovers found it — love is a finder, always —
Used it to talk through, and the loving whispers
Went back and forth in safety. They would stand
One on each side, listening for each other,
Happy if each could hear the other’s breathing,
And then they would scold the wall: ‘You envious barrier,
Why get in our way? Would it be too much to ask you
To open wide for an embrace, or even
Permit us room to kiss in?’ (4.61–75)
They decide to run away together, but Thisbe gets to their meeting place and runs away when she sees a lion. When Pyramus sees the lion with Thisbe’s fallen veil, he assumes that Thisbe has been killed, and kills himself. Thisbe discovers her dying lover and kills herself too, and their blood dyes the mulberry permanently red. What is odd (for the Metamorphoses) about this story — one of Shakespeare’s favorites — is that there is no divine epiphany or intervention here, just human passions and accidents.
Next, the second daughter of Minyas, Leuconoe, tells the story of Leucothoe, Apollo, and Clytie. Apollo, victim again of Cupid’s arrows, becomes obsessed with the beautiful Leucothoe, princess of Babylon, and disguises himself as her mother in order to get her alone — while the princess is weaving, notably — and rapes her. Clytie, Apollo’s lover, in a jealous rage, tells Leucothoe’s father. Even though Leucothoe tells him she was forced against her will, he cruelly buries her alive, and not even Apollo can save her, despite his efforts. Clytie, meanwhile, aggrieved that Apollo does not return to her, turns into a heliotropic flower, always turning her face toward the god who scorned her. Clytie is a nymph, but her jealousy and the wrath of Leucothoe’s father are all too human.
That was Leuconoe’s story, and the others
Listened, spell-bound, and some did not believe it,
And others said that the true gods could make
Whatever they wanted happen, but as for Bacchus,
He was no true god. (4.71–5)
Finally, the third daughter of Minyas, Alcithoe, starts to take her turn. What story should she tell? She discards several, because they’re too common (not to me, but maybe they were to Ovid’s audience); Alcithoe wants something new and exciting, something her sisters have never heard before. Considering these three sisters are only here because they refuse to worship a new god, Alcithoe’s interest in novelty seems contradictory.
Alcithoe settles on the aetiological origin story of the spring of Salmacis in Halicarnassus and its magical power to make men effeminate. Salmacis, a water nymph, “falls in love” with the beautiful young man Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. She tries to seduce him, but Hermaphroditus is too young and inexperienced to understand what’s going on, and is frightened by her. Salmacis then withdraws to lie in wait, and pounces on Hermaphroditus like a clinging ivy vine or grasping octopus once he dives into the water. The two are fused together into a single androgynous figure, both male and female — or “half-male,” as Ovid writes. Salmacis is the poem’s first female rapist, and the result of her predation is a body of water which threatens to “soften” any male who bathes in it.
Alcithoe has succeeded in telling a surprising and unprecedented story, but the consequences of her rejection of Bacchus have arrived. As she finishes, her sisters’ loom suddenly comes to life and bursts with ivy vines and grape clusters, as the house goes dark, with spooky shrieks and drums sounding throughout the halls. Bacchus has come to exact his vengeance, and the three daughters of Minyas are turned into nocturnal bats, their storytelling powers reduced to squeaking.
Now Bacchus is worshipped everywhere, especially by his aunt and foster-mother Ino, the only one of his aunts who acknowledged him from the start. Her piety is not enough to protect her, for Juno is still angry at Ino’s sister Semele for bearing Jove’s son, and has been following the events of Books 3–4 closely.
Proud of the god she fostered, she offended
Juno, who could not stand her. ‘So,’ she thought,
‘My rival bears a child, and he has power
To transform sailors, give the flesh of a son
For his mother to tear into pieces, turn the daughters
of Minyas into bats, and what can Juno
Do beyond weeping at insults unavenged?
Is that enough? Is that my only power?
But he himself has shown me what to do:
To learn from enemies is right and proper.
He has given more than ample demonstration
In the history of Pentheus, how far madness
Can go; so why should Ino not be spurred
To madness, down the road her sisters followed?’ (4.421–34)
No punishment is ever enough for Juno; as she journeys through the Underworld to send the Furies after Ino, she only thinks that more people deserve to be down there, suffering eternal torments. Ino and her husband Athamas are driven insane, and Ino launches herself and her son into the sea, and is made a goddess. Her father Cadmus, driven to desperation by the loss of all his children and grandchildren, prays to be turned into a snake, and his wish is granted.
The final story of Met. 4 introduces Perseus, flying heroically in to save the damsel in distress. The damsel, Andromeda, is the princess of Ethiopia, sacrificed to a sea monster to assuage the wrath of Ammon. The book ends with Perseus casually mentioning how he came to have the head of Medusa, and how Medusa came to have snakes for hair.
And he went on to tell them of his journeys,
His perils over land and sea, the stars
He had brushed on flying pinions. And they wanted
still more, and someone asked him why Medusa,
Alone of all the sisters, was snaky-haired.
Their guest replied: ‘That, too, is a tale worth telling.
She was very lovely once, the hope of many
An envious suitor, and of all her beauties
Her hair most beautiful — at least I heard so
From one who claimed he had seen her. One day Neptune
Found her and raped her, in Minerva’s temple,
And the goddess turned away, and hid her eyes
Behind her shield, and, punishing the outrage
As it deserved, she changed her hair to serpents.’ (4.788–801)
“As it deserved”?!
Medusa sounds just like Andromeda, also “the hope of many an envious suitor” (Perseus is about to be attacked by a rival himself in Book 5). Andromeda narrowly escaped being attacked by a sea monster, while Medusa is attacked by Neptune. Medusa also sounds a lot like the Minyeides, worshippers of Minerva who might have thought their patron goddess would protect them from other gods. Now that our male poet has resumed the story, Medusa doesn’t get a speaking role. Not only do we hear from Medusa herself, we don’t even find out what happened to her and why until the action is over, and only in this casual, passing way. No new voices here. | {
"date": "2020-04-02T23:22:15Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370508367.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20200402204908-20200402234908-00011.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9650848507881165,
"token_count": 2396,
"url": "https://medium.com/@joannakenty/metamorphoses-4-new-voices-ae1256721b4c"
} |
This selection, chosen by guest editor JJ Rowan, is from space neon neon space by luna rey hall, released by Variant Lit in 2022.
i didn’t tell my best friend i was non-binary
because we were bros
text of poem
when i run my hand through water, which sensation should i be feeling? the relief of a summer night, minnesota cool. or the consuming feeling. that all of you is submerged & sure, you can pull it out whenever you please, but for a moment you are surrendered to the lake. when i talk to the sky, should i be shouting? it really doesn't matter. i guess, now, he knows.
luna rey hall is a queer trans writer. they are the author of four books including the upcoming novella-in-verse the patient routine (Brigids Gate Press, 2023). her poems have appeared in The Florida Review, The Rumpus, & Raleigh Review, among others.
JJ Rowan (they/them) is a queer nonbinary writer and dancer. Their poems, not-poems, and interactive performances have appeared in the tiny, Dream Pop Journal, 45th Parallel, and at the SMOL Fair and the Splinter Collective’s Interrupted by Trains, among others. Their most recent chapbook is a simple verb (Bloof Books). They are on the editorial team at just femme & dandy. You can sign up for their newsletter, actual motion, at their website. | {
"date": "2023-06-05T16:49:57Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652149.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605153700-20230605183700-00132.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9596849679946899,
"token_count": 315,
"url": "https://sundressblog.com/2023/03/23/the-wardrobes-best-dressed-space-neon-neon-space-by-luna-rey-hall-4/"
} |
Here’s a paradox: There is so much, as well as nothing at all, going on in the new Deadpool 2 trailer released online this morning. Disguised as a Bob Ross parody, the teaser trailer for Deadpool 2 suddenly explodes with a bunch of brand new footage from the upcoming movie, with shots of new characters like Domino (Zazzie Beetz) as well as old favorites like Weasel (T.J. Miller) and Dopinder the taxi driver (Karan Sorin).
Then, there’s Negasonic Teenage Warhead, played by a returning Brianna Hildebrand. Though she has barely five seconds of screen time in the trailer, her appearance is such a show-stopper in a teaser overwhelmed by Wade Wilson’s juvenile antics. Here’s why, in plain terms, why Negasonic is just so fucking cool in Deadpool 2.
First, let’s just celebrate her attitude. Flipping the bird with an “I don’t give a shit” expression is practically a monument to the essence of 20th Century Fox’s foul-mouthed superhero franchise. A teenager, being vulgar? Heavens! That’s Deadpool to a T, friends, and Negasonic here is keeping in step.
Second, Negasonic’s new costume pops with color, it forces you to pay attention. Aside from the Bob Ross bits, there’s such a dark pale blue color palette, an aesthetic reminiscent of David Leitch’s John Wick movies. Even the shots containing Deadpool himself drown out his red costume into muted hues, which is upsetting since Deadpool is both literally and symbolically a colorful character. It also helps that Negasonic is shot under a clear warm sun, instead of overcast and night where you see most of Deadpool.
Third, I should say upfront I am a cisgendered straight male. But even I can see Negasonic, be it on the part of the costume department, the producers, or even from Hildebrand herself, has upped the ante on an androgynous look that is so strongly associated with queerness and non-binary identities. This isn’t to say Negasonic is a sight to gawk at. Rather, Negasonic displays an awe-inspiring confidence that forces you to, again, pay attention.
In Deadpool’s testosterone-driven corner, where Wade’s preoccupation with dick jokes and murdering people will clash with Josh Brolin’s Cable, who has big guns and bigger muscles, Negasonic stands out. Negasonic beckons attention, which is the whole point when one intends to steal the show.
Deadpool’s name may be the film’s title, but if Negasonic winds up being the best part of Deadpool 2 — even more than Cable or Zazie Beetz’s Domino — hopefully it won’t be hard to see why.
Deadpool 2 will hit theaters on June 1, 2018. | {
"date": "2021-07-27T13:23:34Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153391.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20210727103626-20210727133626-00658.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9054795503616333,
"token_count": 629,
"url": "https://www.inverse.com/article/38459-deadpool-2-trailer-negasonic-teenage-warhead"
} |
Synopsis: A poorly-run government agency with a time machine attempts to alter history, and hijinks ensue.
Book Review: This will be a short review, because there isn’t terribly much to say. This is a well written, fun romp through time. It’s almost like a very intellectual Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. We have a team of scrappy underdogs that are very easy to relate to and to fall in love with. I absolutely ADORE the “witch” from 19th century Prussia, every single scene with her is the best thing ever. <3 The government is both powerful and incompetent in the ways you come to expect as you get older. The villains are so deliciously easy to hate. The scenes set in the past feel incredibly realistic (which one would expect with both Stephenson and Galland at the helm). There is an extended scene with a raiding party of naked Vikings pillaging a Wal-Mart which is hilarious and makes perfect internal sense.
The book is also written with the fun gimmick of being a collection of archival evidence that is being presented to the reader, so every single bit of it is either an excerpt from a journal, or a letter that was intercepted, or an email that was leaked, or a PowerPoint presentation, or something. It’s a cool constraint, and it’s fun to see how the authors pull off telling a great story in an entirely epistolary format.
That being said, there isn’t much of substance here. It’s a fun trip, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, but it doesn’t really have much to say about humanity or the world or whatever. I like my fiction (even the comedic romps) to have a deeper motive as well. So not something to rush out for, but good if you’re in the mood for something well written and fun. Mildly Recommended.
Book Club Review: Overall people enjoyed the book, although nearly everyone else thought that it really dragged in the middle. I don’t see it, but if everyone else thought so, it’s something to consider. We had a fun time talking about the characters we loved and the scenes we enjoyed. But there wasn’t any deeper discussion either. Fun for a get-together, but again, not quite what I look for in a book club meeting. Also, it’s a typical Stephenson-length novel, so about twice the length of most novels, which is a lot to ask for a book club, and can bring down attendance. Mildly Not Recommended.
I saw the first episode of The Witcher on Festivus, and boy did that unintentionally fit the holiday theme. tldr is that the writers are just phoning this in, and hoping the strength of the fight choreography will keep people watching.
Full Spoilers below.
The problems start right out the gate, where we see a stranger fighting a monster. Why do I care about this monster, and whether it wins or not? Or is it the stranger I’m supposed to care about, because he’s human? There are no stakes in this fight, I don’t care about either participant, so I’m already bored. Also, since I know that’s Geralt, I also know I’m *supposed* to care if he wins (lazy writing!), and that he will win because they aren’t killing off the lead in the first 4 minutes of a series.
Geralt struggles to reach his sword when it’s been knocked from his grasp, but fails to do so, and must go back to grappling. I guess this is suspense? He then reaches for it, and fails to get it, AGAIN. Oh my god. I was on pins and needles, seeing a close up of a hand failing to close around a sword for several grasps. How many times will this incredibly suspenseful gambit be reused? *At least once more*, because we have run time to pad!
Most of the rest of this episode is mumbled exposition in boring locations while two characters look at each other. This also fails to draw me in. I don’t know what kingdom you rule, or why I am in support of it. I don’t know who the Nilfgardians are, why they are coming, or what bad things will happen if they are not thrown back. Sure, the nobility will likely have some bad times, maybe execution, but they’re nobility–they probably deserve it. Sic Semper Tyrannis! Like, I really just can’t feel any anticipation at the revelation that the enemy army is already within your borders if I don’t give a damn about you or your borders yet.
Same for your weird dissection of people born during an eclipse. That could’ve been spiced up with ominous music and flashbacks, or something. Just having two dudes mumbling at each other stoically about mutations had me actually zoning out.
Lets talk about the big skirmish between the two… armies? First of all, I don’t know where the hell it happens. Is this nearby? Just outside the city? Several days’ march away? Does this field even exist in the world? Because I swear before all the gods that if felt like a Green Screen Room that everyone was teleported to, and then later teleported back from. It’s implied the battle goes on for at least a couple days, but I have no sense of time passing as well as no sense of location. And the CGI is the worst I have seen this decade. When we got distance shots of cavalry moving, or infantry rushing each other, it almost looked like I was playing Myth again. Well, ok, maybe not that extreme, but it was reallybad. The CGI in the Witcher 3 video game was strikingly better, which is just not something I expect from a Netflix show.
There were two really good things about this show, however. The first was Renfri, the maybe-demon lady. She has an actual personality, with motivation and everything! Her dialog is fun, she gets our sympathy very quickly, and she’s a freakin’ bad-ass. The actress portraying her does a fantastic job. I was willing to keep watching this series on the strength of what would be done with this character and her arc alone — and then they killed her at the end of the episode. Y’all removed the only good thing about your show in the pilot, dammit. Screw this whole thing.
The other really good part was the two fight scenes we get at the end. They were beautiful. A high-budget call back to the ridiculously over-the-top Xena-style fighting from my childhood. It was pure bombast and awesome eye candy. I had so much fun watching them.
(I did hear a friend say that someone told him this was “very realistic fighting,” which made me choke on my Comed-Tea. This is the opposite of realistic fighting. I don’t care, because it was wonderful and super fun. But the only universe were someone could think this was realistic is if their only exposure to fight scenes is Marvel movies.)
Unfortunately, this is 2-3 minutes of screen time at the end of a 56 minute slog. It is not worth the loss of 1/16th of my waking hours for the day. I will be watching the fight scenes on YouTube, and that’s it. I’m disappointed that a series with such potential was tanked by people who don’t care to do any writing work.
Synopsis: Years after an interplanetary war has ended, insurgents from the losing side are starting to show up.
Book Review: I’ve written before about my dislike of the Series Trend. ie: everything is a series now, rather than a single book, because that’s the only way most writers can make a living. But Aftershocks is really taking this problem to a new level.
Aftershocks is a prologue to the real story. That’s it. It is the equivalent of taking the opening crawl from Star Wars and inflating it to a novel rather than a few paragraphs that set up the movie. You can see the beginnings of a story coming, and it looks like it’ll be a good one. The world building is good, the writing is intelligent, the characters are interesting. But the main action of the story literally doesn’t even start, it’s all just set-up.
One might say that this is fine, because Marko Kloos is a proven author with a solid track record. His prior series is well received, and even people who don’t like Military SF say that his series is a stand-out exception. I can believe it, because like I said, the writing really is good. One could very well just trust the author and settle in for a ride. Isn’t this what I do anyway when I read web serials?
The prose is particularly good at quickly and efficiently building visuals. Where other authors take pages describing something, and you still aren’t quite sure what’s happening, Kloos manages to play a fully realized scene in your mind on every page. Everyone is accounted for and the environment feels rich, and he does this all with just a few lines. It’s an extraordinary power!
The characters, likewise, are relatable, and each one feels like a different person with a unique personality. I, personally, also really appreciated the recognition of human sexuality. Much like real-life people, these characters have libidos. They recognize when someone is attractive, and the effect it has on themselves. I’ve been seeing this less and less in SF/F, as novels either become directly about sex/sexual relationships, or completely ignore it. It was neat to actually see a character feel sexual attraction to a stranger, but just not act on it, like almost everyone IRL does almost every day.
Still, I can’t get past the fact that nothing happens. When I reached the halfway point of the book and realized that I hadn’t even get to the part where the author makes a promise to the reader, and probably wouldn’t until the last chapter because Everything Is A Series, I felt disappointment lapping at my knees. Not Recommended.
Book Club Review: It really is good prose. It reads fast, and the novel is short, which helps with turnout. There’s even a few things of interest to talk about, regarding the (rather intentional) parallels between Aftershocks’s world and post-WWI Germany. If anyone in your book club has experience with military bureaucracy and/or military culture, they’ll bring a fair bit to the discussion. So you can get talking for a while. But the most common refrain was “It felt sorta… empty.” I guess I’d wait until at least three books are out and then read them all in one go, so there’s something to sink one’s teeth into, story-wise. Until then, Not Recommended.
Also… I had a ridiculously hard time getting hold of an ebook version of this. I wasn’t allowed to simply give Amazon (or any other online retailer) my money in exchange for the book! I had to put in a lot of work to get it, and if I wasn’t reading it for my book club I would have given up early in the struggle. WTF, Capitalism? What is going on here?
I had a saddening encounter this weekend. On a panel about civil verbal disagreement, an audience member asked what to do when people use terms that are viewed by one side in a debate as slurs (such as “climate-denier”) and was told that in such a case, rather than getting upset one should stay quiet and introspect on their situation and see if they can understand why the other party would say such things. So I turned to my fellow panelist and told her that sounded very self-serving. Yes, we all dislike climate-deniers and don’t find anything wrong will calling someone literally what they are. But by way of comparison, if someone called me a “fag,” should I also introspect on my situation and see if I can understand why someone would say such a thing, rather than getting upset? She said of course not, and there was some concession that maybe this wasn’t the most fair-handed advice, but the topic was quickly moved past because panels are fast-paced and many people had questions/comments to get to.
(I know that “climate denier” is obviously drastically different. No one’s ever been kicked out of their house or beaten to death for being a climate denier. But after a failed attempt using a more analogous example, I found this was the only one that could get my co-panelist to consider how someone from the outside would view her call to ponder “why am I so bad?” rather than anything remotely realistic.)
Importantly, afterwards the panelist told me privately that she didn’t mean to be unfair or anything. It’s just that the person who asked the question was a White Man, he obviously needed to reflect on himself. And implicit both in her words and the “you know…” look she was giving me was that white men can have no legitimate complaints about how they are treated, and that was the basis of her answer. They are a class that can only ever do violence, and no verbal abuse can be visited upon them that is not morally justified. The only thing she knew about the question-asker was that he was white and male and somewhere north of his 40s, and that was enough.
Synopsis: A group of engineers living in a total-surveillance spaceship decide they must overthrow its near-omniscient sovereign AI, and have to figure out how to do so while also only being awake a few days every several thousand years.
Book Review: I continue to love everything Peter Watts writes. He is a super-stimulus to my taste in fiction.
The premise of the book is already interesting. A covert revolution with ridiculous constraints on action, against a tyrant that can decide to never wake you up every time you go to sleep if he finds out what you’re planning. Watts then rockets us directly into Kafka territory, as the crew almost immediately loses all contact with the rest of humanity due to sleeping away eons between their shifts to create wormhole gates. Why do they continue to make gates for a humanity that may not exist anymore? Why are eldritch monstrosities erupting from these gates and trying to destroy their ship? Why does anything matter? It doesn’t, just keep making gates, that’s your sole purpose, so latch onto it.
After reading a number of works by an author, you come to see common themes between them. Watts’s books are always incredibly lonely. The characters within them are singular and alone. The rest of humanity either doesn’t exist, or may as well not exist anymore. Their peers are all distant, strange creatures, whom one can’t form bonds with. Everything is cold, and quiet, and isolation is all-pervasive. (yes, I love this)
Also, Watts loves non-sapient intelligences. Things that behave as if conscious, but which are not. They are generally incredibly creepy. One of the major themes in Freeze-Frame is the protagonist slowly coming to accept that the AI she speaks with isn’t a person. It’s a series of flow-charts and equations meant to mimic human interaction. And this hurts, because due to the previously-discussed isolation, the AI was the only friend she had. Not only is she losing her friend, she’s realizing she never had one to begin with.
The mark of a good book is, of course, the drawing together of mood and theme into a compelling plot that moves the reader through the story, and Freeze-Frame has that too. The changes that occur over deep time, and the insane level of engineering that was bent to the task of making a thing that would remain stable over so long (and the interesting ways it fails) tie into the covert revolution plot as well. There’s just so much to love here for fans of dark SF.
The two main complaints I have is that the protagonist is the only developed character, everyone else is a bit one-dimensional. I’m not sure that’s a valid complaint though, because the fact that no one else feels fully real is to be expected when you are so isolated and have no connections to anyone. The other complaint is that this is too short. Not just in a “Hey, I want more!” way (although there’s that too!), but in a “This is basically a novella being sold as a novel,” way. It only barely squeaks into the lower bound of a novel in length. However this does force Watts to keep his prose tight, there aren’t nearly as many ponderous descriptions of objects and actions, and much more getting-to-the-point, which I appreciated. And to be honest, if it was a novella it wouldn’t have been read by our book club, since we only do novels.
Regardless, definitely Recommended!
Book Club Review: A good book for book clubs as well. The fact that it is so short meant no one had trouble finishing it, and we had very high attendance. Not everyone is the Watts fanboy that I am, but most everyone found it interesting. There were quite a few things to talk about, and a bit of speculation about the nature of the reveal near the novel’s end. For that matter, there was speculation about what happened to humanity, and how realistic certain aspects of the story were/weren’t. This is a dense book, and like all of Watts’s books, it expects a lot from the reader. There’ll be just as much discussion about this as there are in most books triple its length. Recommended.
After sharing this link, I was informed that Stallman has had a history of maybe defending sexual relationships with minors. I didn’t know about this. That is bad. I am less certain now that he shouldn’t have lost all his positions. On the other hand, as the link points out, the worst allegations against Stallman involve him being a socially clueless aspie. That makes me worried. In Defense of Richard Stallman
“Stallman made some technically-correct-but-utterly-tactless comments on a private mailing list, mostly in defense of his late friend and colleague Marvin Minsky. Someone leaked those comments to the public. He was then forced to resign from pretty much every position he held….He is now likely homeless and his friends (such as Eric Raymond) have had trouble contacting him.”
Libertarian leaders debate the direction of the Libertarian political party. This was one of the more interesting and passionate debates I’ve heard in a long time. And I’m still very torn. Passionate idealism, vs pragmatic realism? I don’t know dammit!
Natalie Wynn is amazing, I love her videos in general. But this one is the most overwhelmingly “This is everything I ever wanted in a video, I can’t even begin about how great it is.” It summarizes everything I’d like to say but can’t. It doesn’t have any solutions, but at least it identifies the problem. <3
(for the uninitiated, Wynn is a social commentator, and this video is about the state of Men in modern society. Also, it takes a while to get started.)
I keep forgetting that in Rowling’s Potter, Harry gets married to freakin’ Ginnie Weasley. But then, I also keep for getting that in Rowling’s version he’s a jock. ><
“Harry Potter had a crush on Cho specifically because she was good at Quidditch, and could go toe to toe with him as a seeker. Harry Potter started developing feelings for Ginny after she joined the Quidditch Team, and their first kiss happen as a celebration of winning a important match for the house cup, and she will later become a freaking professional quidditch player. Harry Potter is into jocks. Harry Potter is into jocks that, specifically, could kick his ass at his favorite sport.
I feel like this is an important thing to know about the guy.”
“most of the people interviewed had a similar path to getting so deep into flat eartherism
1) They sorta believed that the earth was flat.
2) They told their friends, who either blew them off or mocked them or both.
3) They found a group of flat-earthers online, who were very welcoming and happy to find a fellow flat-earther.
4) Slowly, these people abandoned their old friends and converted to the new folks, who’d never tell them they were wrong about the flat-earth. Which had the side effect of making their flat-earth beliefs the most prominent part of their personality.
5) Eventually, the rejection becomes the proof that they’re on the road to truth, and no amount of evidence will convince them because this is no longer about logic – it’s about using their own logic to build a shield to protect them from rejection.
[…] the most telling part was at the end, when they interviewed one of the most devoted flat-earthers and asked him (I’m paraphrasing):
“What if you got irrefutable proof that the Earth was round? You’d lose all your friends. Could you walk away from this culture you helped create?”
And to his credit, he answered honestly:
“No. No, I don’t think I could.” […]
… the internet has made wrong people folks to be courted. In fact, the more wrong people you can get on your side, the less you’ll be lonely. And the only cost to be a part of these groups is that you can never question the beliefs at the core of it, because that wrongness is what binds you, and any evidence that contradicts that wrongness must be either discarded, attacked, or humiliated.”
The ridiculous beliefs of religions are a feature, not a bug. You can’t have a religion without at least one obviously ludicrous thing. I used to think this was an argument against religions. Now I’m starting to think it’s an argument in favor of one Big False Belief.
“Did anyone notice how quickly the internet turned into a Lovecraftian horror scenario?
Like we’ve got this dimension right next to ours, that extends across the entire planet, and it is just brimming with nightmares. We have spambots, viruses, ransomware, this endless legion of malevolent entities that are blindly probing us for weaknesses, seeking only to corrupt, to thieve, to destroy.
Add onto that the corrupted ones themselves, humans who’ve abandoned morality and given up faces to hunt other people, jeering them, lashing out, seeing how easy it is to kill something you can’t touch or see or smell.
…Some of our best and brightest are going to create an army of four winged bats hovering throughout every city and we are going to connect them directly to the dimension where the nightmares live.
I’m not saying it’s all bad, but I am saying Cthulhu lies deathless dreaming in this web we built him and he is waking up.”
TIL that the most important things to recycle are metals. So rinse your aluminum and tin cans and put them in the bin.
Paper is iffy, and anything that’s touched food or has glue/sticky on it will contaminate other recycling or damage the machinery, so throw that in the trash.
And plastic should not be recycled at all, always put those in the trash.
“[author tweeted] “text-based websites should not exceed in size the major works of Russian literature.”
If you open that tweet in a browser, you’ll see the page is 900 KB big. That’s almost 100 KB more than the full text of The Master and Margarita.
In May 2015, Facebook introduced ‘Instant Articles’, a special format for news stories designed to appear within the Facebook site, and to load nearly instantly.
Facebook made the announcement on a 6.8 megabyte webpage dominated by a giant headshot of some dude. He doesn’t even work for Facebook, he’s just the National Geographic photo editor.
Further down the page, you’ll find a 41 megabyte video, the only way to find out more about the project.”
I kinda suspect that at least part of it is class-signalling. One demonstrates that one is rich enough to live in a high-bandwidth area and therefore higher class than those rural and third-world people by insisting on pages that are visibly obese.
Yes, it’s probably not a conscious thought, but it’s there nonetheless. Why does poor fashion instinctively hurt the sensibilities of the rich, even if “they aren’t classist?” Because everyone has completely absorbed the subtleties of status markers to the point that they are mostly subconscious aesthetic taste.
Sometimes I get pleasure out of the stupidest things. Like, this is the first Pitch Meeting I ever saw. I’ve now watched over 100 of them. They are all basically identical, with a few details swapped out as appropriate. And yet, I love them. Every single one just brings me joy. I am ashamed, I feel like the 5-year old that keeps saying “Again!” and watching the same episode of his favorite show over and over and over and over. And yet…. <3
But there was another major world religion that started with beggars, lepers, and prostitutes, wasn’t there? One that told the Pharisees where to shove their respectable values. One whose founder got in trouble with the cops of his time.
In a hundred years, will social justice look exactly like Christianity does now? No. The world’s changed too much. Even if every religion converges on the same set of socially useful values, the socially useful values change. We don’t need to push chastity if we have good STD treatment and contraception; we don’t need to push martial valor if all our wars are fought by drones. The old religions are failing partly because they can’t adapt quickly enough; social justice won’t need to imitate their failures. … But I expect it to recapitulate the history of other civil religions in fast-forward. Did you know “pagan” is just Latin for “rural”?”
Don’t Hire Assholes. “removing an asshole (or converting them to a non-asshole) enhances productivity more than replacing an average worker with a superstar”
Obituaries For The Recently Cancelled. “Matthew Edwards, 41, was canceled early Friday evening after he was seen in his car singing along to “Remix to Ignition.” Mr. Edwards has not watched the R. Kelly documentary, but colleagues say he was aware of its existence and general content. He leaves behind his intersectional feminist wife Julia and two woke children.”
Planet of Cops. “The single greatest accomplishment of 21st Century leftism is distributing the culture of surveillance and snitching. Intersectionality gave nearly everybody a weak spot to be exploited by the right self-appointed enforcer and a lens to turn any innocuous opinion into kompromat. It couldn’t have worked better if designed from the ground up to work like this.”
Watch out! I’m on a Kontext Machine Kick!
Today I learned that pre-Reagan Republicans used to be Batman? O_O
“Hell, for a while, the Republicans were even the more abortion-friendly party. The Democrats were the Catholic party after all. The Republicans were the Protestant-as-humanistic-heritage-charity ones, the ones who eugenically spaced their three children two years apart unlike those grubby Papists, the ones with mistresses, the ones with bourgeois life courses to even be diverted from. Not to mention the doctors who cleaned up after amateur abortions or offered black-market ones themselves.”
“the internet in general was pretty wealth-marked in 1998 (far more than we realized, with our American mythology of universal white suburban middle-classness and “global village” Internet mythology) … And if the Anglophone internet is ::gestures:: like this now maybe it’s cause it’s less of a professional-class preserve? The dividing line maybe being smartphones where “people on the internet” went from “people who specifically spend $X/mo on it as luxury” to “people with telephone service”? That’s a real possibility, that for all the “Global Village” stuff the wondrous effect of the ‘90s internet was to create a cultural space that was MORE gatekept by wealth and education.
Depressing but very well precedented, that’s exactly the arc newsprint, radio, and TV followed before.”
“Proposed: the 1980s farm crisis (which was where family farming finally died in America) at some level fed into the development of anti-abortion activity and identity in the same period, by way of agrarian-magical fertility rites.
It’s a recurring notion among human agricultural societies that the health of the land, and of the crop, rely, through sympathetic magic, on the enactment of human fertility, in ritual or actual childbearing
These fertility cults constitute a folk religion symbiotic with any variety of nominal official religions, if not actively parasitic and tending to supplant
At some fundamental level the failure of the agrarian economy is understood or at least felt as a result of the failure of women to bear children, and for them to return to fertility will renew the golden age
To perform abortions is, essentially, to perform black witchcraft, cursing the crop and ruining the harvest; if a witch has cursed your crop the solution is to kill the witch.
This would explain the origin of Operation Rescue in the mid-1980s, and why it would choose Wichita of all places for its Summer of Mercy, this would explain the geographic distribution of the most intense anti-abortion sentiment and violence, this would explain why if you drive too far into farm country the cultural footprint consists of decaying human settlements and roadside signs condemning abortion or beseeching women to give birth”
A number of years ago I was in a friend’s living room. We were setting up to play boardgames. I was up and looking at his bookshelf when I saw the book “Bloom.” It wasn’t by one of the super-famous authors you see everywhere and I had just read it a while ago myself, so I said “Oh hey, you have Bloom! That was a good book, I liked it.” Behind me a voice said “Yeah, I wrote that.”
I turned around and there sat a man I’d been introduced to just that day for boardgaming, looking at me in dead seriousness. I had this intense feeling of vertigo, because somehow a published author had just randomly snuck into my life and was hanging around in a mutual friend’s living room like this was a perfectly normal thing that just happens. I was initially at a loss for words.
That was Wil McCarthy, and since then we’ve gotten to know each other quite a bit more. He took about a decade off from writing to do the tech-entrepreneur thing, but now he’s back into the word-slinging game. His latest novel drops today, and I’m hosting a guest post from him in support, because he greatly overestimates the reach of my blog. :) I mentioned that hearing about tech entrepreneurship would be something my readers are interested in, so he wrote to that. Without further delay:
Hi, my name is Wil McCarthy, and I’m a writer. Eneasz was kind enough to lend my this platform for a day, because I’ve got a hardcover science fiction novel out from Baen this week. This is actually the twelfth book in my publishing career, and yet still a really significant milestone for me, because the last time I released a book was in 2005, and if you’d told me then that there’d be a gap of fourteen years before my next book, well, I wouldn’t have believed it. Seriously, I used to work a full-time job whilst writing a book a year, and I still had enough leftover time and energy to attend to my family and maintain an active social life. Then I gave up the full-time job to concentrate exclusively on my writing, and that went well. For years. So what happened?
In a way, the writing was a victim of its own success; in my 1999 novella “Once Upon a Matter Crushed” and subsequent novel THE COLLAPSIUM, I posited a type of programmable matter called “wellstone”, whose optical and electrical and even mechanical properties could be adjusted in real time through the application of minute electrical signals. This was based on real science, and I said so in the book’s appendix, but even so I got a flood of annoyed fan mail saying the idea was nonsense and had no place in a hard science fiction book. I responded with a series of increasingly detailed, increasingly specific nonfiction articles on the subject, culminating in a long WIRED magazine feature that spelled out, in engineering terms, how such a thing could actually work.
That turned out to be a patentable invention, which I patented and made the subject of a nonfiction book, HACKING MATTER, that was basically a much longer, more detailed, more self-indulgent version of the article I’d written for WIRED. This resulted, in early 2004, in one of the co-inventors of the Blackberry smartphone (remember the Blackberry?) calling me up out of the blue and saying he wanted to give me (or rather, the company I had founded when I filed the patent) a million dollars, just to see what happened.
Saying yes to that resulted in my being the president and chief technology officer of a tech startup, which attracted still more investment from other high-net-worth individuals. Which was fine and fun; what better way to succeed as a science fiction writer than for people to pay you to make your crazy ideas real? One caution I received at the time was that the thing we actually discovered would be different than the thing we set out to invent, and this turned out to be sage advice indeed; after multiple pivots triggered by unexpected results in both the lab and the marketplace, I ended up co-inventing a type of smart window that tinted when it got hot.
Sounds useful, right? Want some for your own house? Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, while we almost succeeded in selling the technology to 3M, and then really almost succeeded in selling it to Dow Chemical, the 2008 meltdown in the economy kiboshed all that, and we eventually concluded we would need to build our own factory and develop and sell the product ourselves. This involved raising many more millions of dollars, which sounds great but was actually the downfall of basically the entire life I’d so carefully built for myself.
One caution I didn’t receive, but quickly figured out for myself, was that venture capitalists don’t want you fucking around writing science fiction novels on the side. They expect (and arguably deserve) your undivided attention. Up until this point, I’d still been dabbling in the world of science fiction, writing novellas for Analog and Asimov’s, and I was also the toastmaster at the World Science Fiction Convention one year, and guest of Honor for Apollocon during the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. Oh, and I was still writing for WIRED, and had a monthly column over at the SciFi channel (later SyFy). But yeah, between 2008 and 2013 all that went away. I didn’t consciously kill any of it, but it certainly died through inattention and starvation. After that, I was no longer a writer — just another tech company entrepreneur.
Another caution I didn’t receive was that tech company founders are basically cannon fodder for the venture capital industry. Once they’ve got 51% control of your company and its IP, you basically become the most expensive and most expendable employee on the roster, and if they can scheme a way to get rid of you and still keep the enterprise afloat, they will frequently do so. I’m not going to say that’s exactly what happened to me. There were negotiations, and a settlement of sorts, and a mutual non-disparagement agreement. What I will say is that in 2014 I found myself out of a job, and with a much-diluted ownership stake in the company I had founded in my own basement. Much diluted. That’s not a disparagement, just a numerical fact. I won’t name the company, but I will say it still exists, and has lost a lot of money over the years. Whether it would have succeeded with me at the helm is hard to say, but it certainly has not so far succeeded without me, in five and a half years of trying.
Over the next year I would suffer both a nasty divorce and a nasty car accident, both of whose aftereffects continue to reverberate in my life. All of this set me back, and made it hard to get back on my feet as my actual self, Wil McCarthy the science fiction writer. However, in 2016 I dusted off a book proposal I’d written all the way back in 2004, right before all the craziness began, and called up Baen’s Toni Weisskopf to ask if she’d like a peek at it. She had, years earlier, given me a standing invitation to write for Baen, so this wasn’t a huge stretch, but still I was grateful when she liked the proposal enough to offer me a two-book contract. I was a writer again! Now all I had to do was actually, you know, write a book. For the first time in more than 10 years. Piece of cake, right? Well, it took a year, even though I was doing it full nearly full time, with just some part-time consulting on the side. And then there were the revisions, and the copyedits, and the page proofs, and the marketing copy, all of which stretched out over another agonizing year.
Okay, but now it’s late 2019, and I’m actually a professional novelist again, in the most fundamental sense of having written and published a novel. Whew. Now, as I obsessively scan the web for reviews and scrape my Amazon page for real-time sales rankings, I feel whole again, in a way that I haven’t for a long time.
How do I feel about my ten years in startup land? That’s a hard question to answer. As badly as it all turned out, the experience still furnished some of the most memorable times of my life. I traveled the world in Business Class, and solved hard problems side-by-side with people who loved what they were doing as much as I did. And honestly, I do not see how I could have forgiven myself for refusing that first million dollars, and all that came after. Just because the tiger eats you doesn’t mean it isn’t worth riding. I have a lot of regrets, but “doing it at all” isn’t one of them. Still, would I do it again if I had the chance? Again, it’s hard to say. The easy answer is no, of course not, but I also know that if the right idea and the right situation came along, I’d still be sorely tempted to see where it might lead. Which may simply mean that I’ve learned nothing from the experience, except that being a writer isn’t something I’m eager to give up again, anytime soon.
Do I have any advice for people thinking about following in my footsteps? Yeah, kind of. Be careful with your founding documents; make sure they don’t lock you into a situation you can’t escape from, and make sure they do protect you as much as possible from involuntary ejection. Build that golden parachute right into the foundations of your company. Also, don’t trust anyone. That may sound harsh, but with enough money in play to make a company appear, nobody is your friend, and literally anyone (no matter your history) could be tempted at times to stab you in the back and run away with the treasure. You can work with people you don’t trust (in fact, you’ll need to), but don’t hand them the knife to stab you with, and don’t turn your back. Most importantly, don’t give up your other dreams, because at the end of the day, they may be all you have to fall back on.
Synopsis: When a young witch is given wizard powers, she and her grandmother must find a way to get the all-male wizard university to acknowledge and accept her.
Book Review: This is one of Pratchett’s early works, and it’s interesting watching someone you know will become a grandmaster slowly coming into his powers.
The story is entertaining, but it was thematically confusing for me. The girl-witch doesn’t really do a whole lot, and her grandmother, while being absolutely awesome and someone I’d love to know, its rather inconsistent. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book until I went to the bookclub and someone dropped a revelation on me – the protagonist of this book isn’t really the girl, she’s just the inciting incident. The protagonist is the grandmother!
After that it all made sense. The grandmother starts out very cynical and jaded. She practices “headology,” which is mostly psychology and the use of ritual and expectation to help guide people’s lives and actions. She is obviously very aware of how powerful ritual and expectations are, but she’s also extremely cynical about it, mostly viewing other people as befuddled fools who need to be lead through life because they’re too dumb for their own good.
She grows, though. The grandmother’s character arc is of someone who comes to see that ritual can be overemphasized and sometimes needs to be jettisoned when human interests are at stake… and that some humans are actually kinda alright.
Now, I say Pratchett hasn’t quite come into his own yet in this book, because that’s not the clear focus of the story, and it’s a bit inconsistent. Also, he doesn’t engage my emotions at the anger level when showing the witches’ fight for equal rights. The wizards seem more befuddled and incompetent than actually unlikable. There was only one moment when I felt any animus towards them, and it passed quickly. It made the whole “sexism” thing seem like not a big deal, just a misunderstanding, and kinda gave a lie to the title. It’s certainly nothing like the rousing political statements and declarations of his later works, which have you on your feet cheering for human rights and swearing to strike down any tyranny and corruption you see.
Likewise, neither his humor nor his socio-political statements really flowed with the story. It seemed like story, humor, and political stuff always had to stop for each other and interject, rather weaving seamlessly into a majestic single melody like his later books.
But still, his prose is eminently readable! When you read Pratchett it always feels like he’s a mischievous uncle sitting in the room and telling you this story himself, weaving this epic yarn with a twinkle in his eye. He’s snappy and funny and doesn’t belabor anything.
And honestly, it feels a bit churlish to say this work doesn’t measure up to his later works, after he’s had thousands of hours more experience. Is it really fair to compare someone to their refined, future self?
So, all in all, a fun read. Pratchett in general is a Strong Recommended. I would recommend his later works first. But if you’ve already gone through those, this one is pretty good too.
Book Club Review: You can’t go wrong with Pratchett for a book club, y’all already know this. Plenty to talk about, even moreso if people are well-read in his universe. Obviously recommended, with the same caveat of “later works first” as above.
I’ve spoken at length with a few people about the non-binary gender stuff over the last few weeks, and I’ve made a few updates.
First, and most significantly, is I find I resent non-binary people far less now that I’m honest about disliking (and not holding myself to) using neutral pronouns. Neat.
Second, I withdraw most of what I said in “Reducing the Spectrum to a Binary.” The people who most have their spectrum options reduced have them reduced by rightist bigots, not nb folks. And giving people more options doesn’t take away their previous options. I was mainly feeling like my allies in “taking back masculinity to mean many, many things besides Macho He-men” were being stripped away as they got removed from the category of “male”, but they really weren’t, and my feelings of dwindling support were misplaced.
Third, I have firmed up a position I didn’t quite have the words to express before. I don’t like being press-ganged into a war I don’t support. To explain: Declaring oneself to be of a non-sex is the equivalent of declaring oneself non-racial. (ie: I don’t identify as any race, and therefore I am non-racial.) Fine, you do you — but then asking that others use non-conforming pronouns for you to publicly identify you as non-racial (or non-sex) serves the sole purpose of drawing everyone around you into an culture war that they don’t necessarily want to be in. Either they use your pronouns and show that they have joined your side in the culture war (with all that entails), or they don’t, and they have joined the Other Side in the culture war (and all that THAT entails). Which, quite frankly, is bullshit.
This is hopefully my last post on the issue for a long time. :)
Synopsis: The last remnants of humanity flee from a destroyed earth to colonize a previously-terraformed planet. Unfortunately the human AI set to guide and protect the sapient spider species living there ain’t having none of it.
Book Review: This is a Big Idea book. It has a sweeping scope, and lots to say about the human condition. The desperation of the refugee humans, as their colony ship degrades over the centuries and things get worse and worse, is palpable. The value-drift of both the humans and the AI is fascinating to watch. Their culture mutates, their personal drives become maladaptive, and behind this all is the beating drum of survival counting down to extinction.
And that’s just for the human half of the story! The chapters alternate between the plight of humanity, and the ascension of the intelligent spiders on the terraformed world. With a social system based on half their species being born expendable, and vastly different morphology to a human, their cultural evolution is mesmerizing to watch. The fact that their religion is actually real, with a literal god orbiting their planet and guiding them, brings an interesting twist to events. Their shortish lifespans mean we go through quite a few generations of them in the novel, but Tchaikovsky uses a neat SF trick to give the reader continuity with the characters.
This was a pleasure to read. It reminds one of the sci-fi of old in that it explores grand ideas over an epic setting, while still being full of tension and conflict so it remains exciting. With the major difference that it was written just a few years ago, so it has modern sensibilities and feels comfortable to read now. Like, you won’t run into any cringy sexism or racism, and it incorporates the story-telling advances writers have made over the decades. Not to worry though, it doesn’t have any wokeness in it, it’s just… good.
There are a few short-comings, IMHO. The first is a common among epic-scope novels – characters aren’t fleshed out as much as they are in character-driven novels. They’re still pretty good, but the focus is more on the events than on character growth or getting deep into the protagonist’s psyche.
The second is that the ending feels too pat. It almost feels Deus Ex Machina-ish, in its sudden turn-around via a non-signaled power. I was left with a feeling of loss of agency among several of their characters, are their problems were solved for them rather than via conflict/resolution.
And my final gripe is that the prose isn’t nearly poetic enough for my taste. I like Grand, Big-Idea books to have florid, lyrical prose, that reaches in and grabs me by my artistic balls. Things like Palmer or Duncan or Valente write. I want the words to sing for me. However that’s a matter of personal style, and it’s hard to hold that against a book.
On the whole, these complaints are overshadowed by the fantastic exploration of humanity, and the creativity of the story. One can tell just by reading this novel that it took serious work. Recommended.
Book Club Review: A darn good book for a book club. It’s long, but we had a great turn out anyway. With as much as the book has to say about humanity, our flaws, and the things that make us great, there was something for everyone to comment on or bring to the discussion. I don’t think it makes its statements with as much force or eloquence of some other works, but it makes many of them, and it never does so poorly. Y’all won’t be wanting for discussion topics. Recommended! | {
"date": "2020-04-01T10:31:06Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370505730.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20200401100029-20200401130029-00185.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9729296565055847,
"token_count": 10849,
"url": "http://www.deathisbadblog.com/author/embrodski/page/2/"
} |
- The Bug
Reviewing 2019: Chair Report, Financial Report & AGM Minutes
BURN ARTS CHAIRPERSON REPORT 2020
As times are tough in 2020, many of us on the Committee have been thinking about
how grateful we are to be part of a community that is so resilient, adaptive and
collectively minded. What Modifyre looks like in 2020 is still up for discussion,
however as we move forward into 2021, we will be thinking a lot about our cultural
values and “what makes a burn” in the wake of this current pandemic, our new
bushfire reality, and the likelihood that many of the systems which entrench social
inequity continue. We invite our community to use this externally-enforced period
of cocooning as an opportunity to reflect on the elements of a burn that are
important to you, right now.
Though at this point it seems like ages ago, in 2019 our community blossomed.
Modifyre 2019 was astounding- a sell-out year with 500 people, almost no
incidents, and further cementing our position as the wholesome, radical, creative,
and inclusive event that we are. The ritual sound-offering that lulled the entirety
of our event into silent contemplation for the spiralling Temple Burn was
something that many of us will never forget, as rituals for holding intense
collective experiences seem more important than ever in the 2020 context.
Personally, I am especially proud when I hear stories of members inventing and
trialling activities for the first time at Modifyre, and then taking what they learned
back to events in the Default World. Just one example of many is the “Pronoun
Burning Ceremony” that took place one night at our burn barrel outside the heart,
which was created on-the-fly at Modifyre by a couple of newbie burners. A unique
event that I heard referenced throughout the rest of the burn, this ceremony has
been subsequently been hosted and refined at various queer events around
Brisbane with young non-binary people. For me, this is what Modifyre is for: it is
the “petrie dish” in which to try out your bravest and most context-responsive
ideas, before applying your new learnings back home.
Meanwhile, our contingency fund looks healthy, and we have also received a multiyear
permit that lasts until 2023, so for the first time, we have some stability in
regards to our site and finances. A massive thanks must go to our Event Production
Team who worked so hard to put on an amazing event, especially Tom “Bundy”
Hamlyn, our head of DIC (or DIC Head), who held it all together before, during and
after the event.
However, BURN Arts is not just a vehicle for producing Modifyre, but is a year round
participatory arts organisation. In the last twelve months we’ve achieved a
lot as an entity:
1) We received funding to build our own Solar Trailer, which can be loaned to a
variety of civic projects to run off renewable energy. (Thanks goes to Beau
who has put a massive amount of time, skills and resources into making this
2) We’ve released a year-round micro-grant scheme for funding civic projects
outside the burn. We hope to keep growing this arts fund and supporting
more projects in future (maybe one year they’ll be just “grants” instead of
“micro-grants”!) We supported the Future Histories Tours by our very own
Shane “Sugar” Sugrue, which was hosted in an abandoned lot in East
Brisbane. Using his own experiences of wrangling participatory art at
Modifyre to take on issues of place identity, gentrification and apocalypse
(how relevant!), the feedback I got from folks who hadn’t attended
Modifyre before was sheer marvel at the effort, the creativity, and the
welcoming vibes that our community created.
3) We’ve also created the BURN Arts Scrapbook (a play on the Burning Man
Journal) to record and share your musings, experiments, happenings and the
discussions taking place within our community. This has been especially
useful for sharing some of the bigger themes that we’re talking about.
Anybody can contribute to this space, so please take a look!
Lastly, we’ve been looking to the future by engaging in the creation of a Strategic
Plan. This is a living document, which helps us to identify areas that we’d like to
concentrate on cultivating for the next five years (so it can change and is not set
There’s plenty of initiatives outlined under each one of our goals, which the
committee would love to hear your feedback on. We ask all of you to send us an
email at [email protected] with comments in the next four weeks before we
review and publish the final document. We also encourage you to take a look to
see if you’d like to contribute to any of the initiatives that we’ve outlined in
there! There are plenty of opportunities, including sub-committees, to get in on
Lastly, a big thanks to the rest of the BURN Arts Management Committee, who have
put in the hard yards this year to get our systems in order and these new initiatives
up and running. You are doing a fabulous job steering us through this uncertain
We wish our community all the best through the next six months- we are with you!
BURN ARTS TREASURERS REPORT 2020
This year we had both our 2018 and 2019 Annual Accounts verified.
(I am going to round the numbers out as I speak so that we don’t get stuck in
• In 2018, with 350 ticket buyers we made a net profit of $12,900 ($12,962.87)
• Selling out at 500pax in 2019 gave us an income increase of $33,300 ($33,326)
for a net profit of $46,200 ($46,288)
• Our net Assets are currently valued $90,300 ($90,295.94) – this includes our
bank assets, fixed assets and is less our ticketing fees
• Our actual cash is currently sitting at $53,700 ($53,773.55)
• So the good news is that the Organisation is financially soluble and we’re in a
really good position to sustainably grow the organisation - both financially and
culturally – if we manage these funds well.
• The forecast budget for the next Modifyre – capped at 600 – is an income of
$71,300 ($71,329) and expenditure of $45,900 ($45,965.95) giving us a profit of
• We have been able to increase expenditure on those items we need and
consider a community service; truck hire for the duration of the event, a much
needed fire suit and a drug and alcohol testing station managed externally by
Blow Me First.
• We’ve also been able to introduce micro grants up to $300 for artists who are
looking to bring their participatory art to a civic space – with these grants
currently capped at $2000 per annum.
• All in all, and particularly in the current climate, we are in a really fortunate
BURN Arts Inc.
Take a look at our minutes here: | {
"date": "2023-05-30T11:27:23Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645595.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530095645-20230530125645-00155.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9425250291824341,
"token_count": 1659,
"url": "https://www.modifyre.org/post/reviewing-2019-chair-report-financial-report-agm-minutes"
} |
Lifestyle Blog For Women Family Fashion Food Travel. It’s also a good way to connect with others, so you’ll get the most out of your time and energy. It’s also a great way to make money, which can help you pay off debts, take care of your kids, and more!
A Taste of Koko
Among the many food bloggers out there, Koko Brown of A Taste of Koko ranks as one of the most prolific. This Texas-based blogger has been writing about food, travel and lifestyle for years and her content has been featured in the media and on the internet.
Her blog is also one of the most popular in the Austin area. She has collaborated with numerous local businesses, from a local restaurant to a local coffee shop. She also recently teamed up with 101 By Tea Haus. This establishment, which sources teas from Taiwan, brews all teas from scratch. She has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, InStyle Magazine, O Magazine and The OWN TV Network.
A Taste of Koko is not only an award-winning blog, but it’s also a thriving business that benefits local charities. In addition to a blog, she has launched a branded storefront that is set to open in August of this year. Lifestyle Blog For Women Family Fashion Food Travel.The establishment will feature menu items inspired by the night markets of Taiwan and encourage visitors to “eat, drink, and be happy.”
The Koko’s Guide To Austin, a pocket-sized guidebook that includes hundreds of local businesses and events, is available on Amazon. This is also the only guide to feature the first-ever 360-degree map of Austin.
One Big Happy Life
Whether you’re a fashionista, beauty blogger, foodie, or a traveler, you’ll love One Big Happy Life. This lifestyle blog for women features a team of writers who share their experiences. Its well-written posts cover style, wellness, home decor, and parenting. It also offers a weekly digital broadcast episode and monthly bulletins.
A lifestyle blog is a place to share your passions with a community of readers. Some bloggers have experience in the field, while others are first-time writers. These blogs are a way to document your experiences, DIY tips, and personal stories. Some offer a mix of lifestyle topics, while others focus on a specific topic. Some focus on health and fitness, while others specialize in family travel.
One of the most popular lifestyle blogs for women is Hey Nadine. This blog was created by Nadine Dumas in 2010 to connect with other women. She shares her life, her travels, and her love of beauty. Her website is a huge hit with millions of visitors. She has been featured in Redbook and Glamour, and her blog has been published in multiple publications.
Another lifestyle blog for women is A Girl in Progress. It focuses on empowering millennial women and non-binary people.
Whether you’re looking for tips on how to buy the best designer bags, advice on a new home remodel, or ideas on what to wear and where to wear it, a lifestyle blog can provide the guidance you need. Lifestyle Blog For Women Family Fashion Food Travel.The trick is to find the ones that speak to your individual interests and preferences. Here are six of the more popular ones:
One of the first blogs to make it big is Quintessence, an internationally acclaimed design and lifestyle website founded by Stacey Bewkes, who previously worked as an art director at Simon and Schuster for 17 years. Quintessence’s strengths are in its strong categories, interior design, food, and travel. The website is a trusted source of original content and has been featured in publications ranging from Martha Stewart to Elle Decor. The website also boasts a thriving community of users. The blog’s Facebook page has more than 200,000 followers and its Pinterest board boasts over 50,000.
The blog’s most recent venture into television is a hit, with the “At Home with Stacey Bewkes” video series garnering almost five million views. The site features top designers and tastemakers at home from around the globe.
Besides a plethora of Instagram and Facebook posts, the freshest thing on the block has been an award-winning lifestyle blog by Megan and her husband Mike. While the duo have spent most of their adult lives living in Raleigh, North Carolina, they decided to make their home base northern Michigan. As such, they are able to take advantage of a wide array of amenities ranging from golf courses and local attractions to restaurants and the like.Lifestyle Blog For Women Family Fashion Food Travel.
This means that they are able to produce a veritable slew of content that is sure to tickle the fancy of any tasteful reader. Fortunately for them, they haven’t gone unnoticed either. Their favorite clients include a slew of discerning fashionistas who have been known to travel the globe in search of a fresh start.
While it is a bit of a challenge to narrow down the top contenders, the Fresh Exchange managed to impress me time and again. With a staff of three, the company ain’t short on oomph, as you can probably tell from the plethora of Instagram posts lining the walls. The blog is a great place to be on a weekend, and if you’re looking for a unique swag aficionado, they’ll have you covered.
Wit & Delight
Founded in 2014, Wit & Delight is a lifestyle blog for women. It started out as a collection of personal essays. It evolved into a full-fledged lifestyle blog with over three million followers. Lifestyle Blog For Women Family Fashion Food Travel.The topics covered range from fashion and beauty to mental health and self-acceptance. The blog also features an array of share-worthy quotes.
In addition to the blog, the site has a podcast and offers a variety of other content. They cover topics such as style, health, travel, and interior design. It’s an easy-to-read site with a clean layout. They have an extensive library of content, so you’ll always find something interesting.
A Beautiful Mess is a family-friendly lifestyle blog by two sisters, Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman. They focus on fashion updates, crafts, and family life. They also have a section dedicated to recipes. The blog is packed with great photos and a simple layout.
The Pioneer Women is one of the largest lifestyle blogs around. This platform combines beauty, cooking, and home decorating into a complete lifestyle guide. Lifestyle Blog For Women Family Fashion Food Travel.The founder is Ree Drummond, a writer, mother, and blogger. Its articles range from beauty tips and tutorials to home decorating ideas, to news and travel.
Whether you are a fan of The Pioneer Woman or just love home and fashion, you can find the latest articles, recipes and more on the Ree Drummond lifestyle blog. She’s a stay-at-home wife and mother of four, and she also runs her own food network show. Ree is a blogger, writer, and author of books and cookbooks. She has also branched out to the world of photography.
She and her husband, Ladd, were married in 1996. They have two sons, Bryce and Todd. They live in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. They have been homeschooling their children. Ree is an advocate for homeschooling, and she has been involved in the homeschool community. They also host special events for their family and friends.
When she was in college, Drummond was studying broadcast journalism. Her father was an orthopedic surgeon. She attended the University of Southern California, but changed her major to gerontology. Lifestyle Blog For Women Family Fashion Food Travel.She spent her undergraduate years sampling the urban delights of Los Angeles. She also took up ballet classes.
Ree’s mom was a stay-at-home mom. She had a lot of free time to enjoy life and the outdoors, and she grew up in an affluent neighborhood in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The Drummonds had a summer home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. They hosted a Fourth of July bash for their friends every year. | {
"date": "2023-06-01T14:44:09Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647895.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601143134-20230601173134-00357.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9605073928833008,
"token_count": 1749,
"url": "https://timeproject.uk/lifestyle-blog-for-women-family-fashion-food-travel/"
} |
Join us and introduce yourself to CSUN’s friendly and encouraging community of LGBTQIA+ students, allies and resources before your first day of classes! Generation Pride is your chance to begin developing a supportive network of LGBTQIA+ peers and allies. You’ll also find out about all of the services on campus designed to fit your needs and learn about fun and impactful involvement opportunities. We look forward to meeting you!
Show your support for the LGBTQIA+ community and celebrate this national holiday with the Pride Center. Enjoy a fun afternoon filled with activities, arts and crafts, entertainment and snacks with all types of Matadors. Embrace who you are with your friends, and just #BeYou.
In honor of Bisexuality Visibility Day, join us for an informative celebration of nonmonosexual identities, including bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, etc. Share your own experiences regarding your sexuality and be proud to be you at this unique event!
Come together in a space held specifically for the Aromantic (Aro) and Asexual (Ace) community! Build a community with individuals like you and celebrate your identities!
Transcend beyond LGB and come out to empower our transgender community with the Pride Center of the University Student Union. Join us to explore and create vital resources to uplift Trans, genderqueer, gender non-conforming and non-binary individuals.
Join the Pride Center for an evening of celebration and fun, centering the intersections of the LGBTQIA+ and Deaf communities! Enjoy live entertainment, free food, awesome games and amazing vendors in a Deaf-centered signing environment.
Learn about Black Queer icons who have led in the fight for equality during this empowering month! This celebration centers Black Queer identities, and celebrates and explores the intersectionality between Blackness and Queerness through workshops, speakers and discussions.
Get informed about sexual wellness, safe sex practices, and much more in an inclusive environment. All members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies are welcome to engage in candid discussions about everything from body positivity to BDSM basics.
Join us at Queer In Your Career, a one-of-a-kind networking opportunity where you can discuss the issues of coming out and being out in the workplace. Enjoy a compelling panel discussion and networking dinner with professionals from a variety of career fields and learn all about their personal experiences.
Enjoy a memorable ceremony featuring speakers, food and a special presentation of scholarship awards while honoring the graduating members of the CSUN LGBTQIA+ community. Allies are welcome to participate in Rainbow Graduation too. | {
"date": "2023-06-05T23:58:41Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652184.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605221713-20230606011713-00557.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9125556945800781,
"token_count": 530,
"url": "https://www.csun.edu/pride/programs"
} |
This is a new weekly series on my blog, where queer readers give us five of their most anticipated queer reads of 2019. New posts will be uploaded every Thursday, and each week a different reader/blogger will be featured.
The sixth instalment in the series comes from a questioning blogger who wanted to remain anonymous. They’ve chosen five exciting and very different anticipated releases of 2019.
Stripes produces excellent anthologies (see A Change Is Gonna Come) and this stellar line up promise to be another smash hit.
I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver
This features a non-binary teen as the main character and we need more representation like this in YA.
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
It’s a feminist, horror, f/f romance, so basically everything I need in a book.
Going Off Script by Jen Wilde
This looks like it’ll be a good discussion around LGBT+ representation and a good love story from the author of Queens of Geek.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
I love this author so much and I just can’t wait to read this adorable romance later this year.
This week our blogger wanted to remain anonymous but you should definitely go and check out their choices on Goodreads or even pre-order them if you like!
What are some of your most anticipated LGBT+ reads for this year? Do you plan to read any of these choices? | {
"date": "2019-03-25T14:53:22Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912203991.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20190325133117-20190325155117-00202.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9352931380271912,
"token_count": 302,
"url": "https://readingthroughinfinity.com/2019/02/28/queer-readers-5-most-anticipated-lgbt-reads-6/"
} |
- Do you want to get more out of your next event? Book Shubhra Mohanty today for an engaging speaking session. She is recognized internationally for endorsing women empowerment and gender equality in corporate culture and the business world. She believes women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies and better work culture.
- Visit the links to read her publications.
- The onus is on women to carve a niche for themselves in today’s workplace
Discover More SpeakersMore speakers
DisciplinesBusiness, Game Design, Interaction Design, Product Design
TopicsBusiness Design, Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Leadership, Lean, Teamwork
An established thought leader in Silicon Valley, Christina is a “curious human”...
DisciplinesEngineering, Front-end Engineering, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Product Design, User Experience
TopicsAccessibility, Business Design, Communication, Culture, Leadership, Teamwork, Web & Mobile
UX Director and Front End Developer with a decade's experience working with the web...
TopicsAR/VR, Career, Culture, Design Strategy, Design Thinking, Innovation, Leadership, Lean, Web & Mobile
Kara Miekina is a senior design lead at Microsoft, working on AR....
Speakers, Get Featured
Get connected with event organizers interested in engaging women and gender non-binary speakers in design and tech.Sign Up
Already have an account?Log in
Know a great speaker? Let us know so we can invite them to be part of our directory and amplify their voice.Nominate them | {
"date": "2023-06-05T16:21:13Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652149.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605153700-20230605183700-00166.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8731579780578613,
"token_count": 382,
"url": "https://womentalkdesign.com/speakers/shubhra-mohanty/"
} |
By Kurt Herwald
This weekend, the SCDP elected Christale Spain, the first Black woman to chair the state party.
Her primary opponent, Brandon Upson, conceded the race when it became apparent Christale held a majority of the delegates.
Brandon made a gracious and unifying concession speech, pledging support for Christale and encouraging the party to move forward together. Christale had the backing of many of the state’s leading Democrats, including Rep. Jim Clyburn, who nominated her, outgoing chair Trav Robertson, Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison, former chair and National Committeewoman Carol Fowler and former governor Jim Hodges.
Christale’s lengthy biography includes leading a national organizing program for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), contributing to winning 12 of 13 U.S. House races in 2022, including three in North Carolina.
Three other leaders were also elected. Colleen Condon as 1st vice chair, the first non-binary vice chair; Mayra Rivera-Vazquez, the first Hispanic vice chair, as 2nd vice chair; and Michelle Brandt as 3rd vice chair. Each will serve a two-year term.
Unity was the dominant theme at the convention, as was moving forward to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary to be held next year in South Carolina.
At a party-sponsored dinner, attended by hundreds of delegates, on Friday, Rep. Clyburn gave a rousing speech in support of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, highlighting the numerous accomplishments of the administration including the Infrastructure Bill, the American Rescue Plan, the decisive handling of the COVID pandemic, a bipartisan infrastructure bill, and gun safety legislation. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper also spoke at the dinner, highlighting recent Democratic successes in his state and drawing sharp analogies with what South Carolina faces. It was a highly motivating speech and energized the crowd. | {
"date": "2023-06-03T01:03:49Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648911.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603000901-20230603030901-00369.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9598316550254822,
"token_count": 393,
"url": "https://greenvilledemocrats.com/scdp-convention-results/"
} |
New York-based KeepSolid’s VPN Unlimited is a capable service with some unusual features that you won’t always find elsewhere.
Bitcoin Definition Pdf 15 Apr 2020. This rate can be defined as how much bitcoins will be mined on a given period of time. 30https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Proof_of_work. 31The results. Bitcoin is a digital and global money system currency. It allows people to send or receive money across the internet, even to someone they don’t know or don’t trust. Money can
Search ETH Blockchain. Bitcoin Cash Explorer. Search BCH Blockchain. Login Sign Up. The Crypto Exchange You Can Count On. Blockchain Exchange is the most secure place to buy, sell, and trade crypto. Get a Free Account . Connecting the World to Crypto. The Wallet is the easiest way to send, receive, store, and swap crypto. Get a Free Wallet. Previous. Connecting the World to Crypto. The Wallet.
Simple and easy web APIs (REST) enable developers to build blockchain applications quickly and confidently. Cloud Infrastructure. Our modular, cloud- optimized.
DCG’s chief executive explains why decentralization is non-binary and how people are using Dash around the globe.
Bitcoin Vs Ethereum 2018 Projections 9 Nov 2018. 2018. Today, there are more than 1, 500 actively traded. Ether is a cryptocurrency whose blockchain is generated by the. The emergence of a self- organised market of virtual currencies and/or assets whose value is generated. (see Metrics), the forecasting algorithms (see Forecasting algorithms), and. 8 Jan 2020. A cryptocurrency, broadly defined,
Download Bitcoin Blocks apk 1.0.29 for Android. كسب بيتكوين والمتعة لعب هذه اللعبة اثنين من الإدمان المباراة!
Bitcoin Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for Bitcoin crypto-currency enthusiasts. It only takes a minute to sign up. Sign up to join this community. Anybody can ask a question Anybody can answer The best answers are voted up and rise to the top Bitcoin . Home ; Questions ; Tags ; Users ; Unanswered ; Raw Block data in Hexadecimals. Ask Question Asked 5 years ago. Active 1 year, 8.
PIA’s MACE feature blocks.
Bitcoin support – and on balance it makes a fair torrenting choice. Sign up for Private.
With Bitcoin PRO, you have all of the great features that are associated with the standard Bitcoin (BTC) only the PRO version is faster, has lower fees and is completely decentralized.Bitcoin is one of the most interesting digital currencies that is available on the market. Toggle navigation. Home; Why Bitcoin PRO; Bitcoin PRO Advantages; Download; Specs; Buy BTCP; Partners; Block Explorer.
Bitcoin Number Of Transactions 6 days ago. The statistic presents the number of daily Bitcoin transactions from the first quarter 2016 to the first quarter of 2020. Bitcoin is set to turn bearish as price breaks below $9,300 to nosedive past key support. Despite its resilience since the. The average time for a transaction with miner fees to be
Square Crypto supports Bitcoin’s lightning network development, crypto mining pool Poolin expands lending and ICE is going.
Litecoin released its new update on June 11, quelling fears that development was not undergoing at the project that’s been.
Homeland Security is warning Windows 10 users of potential cyberattacks after exploit code for a ‘wormable’ bug was published.
The block chain is a record of all the Bitcoin blocks that are discovered, where the bitcoins are stored.
Free Publisher: Shaun Pryszlak Downloads: 27
Manage & exchange cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero, and more. Secure & easy to use crypto wallet with 100+ assets and counting. Available on.
Download prachtige gratis afbeeldingen over Bitcoin. Vrij voor.
Bitcoin, Blockchain, Munteenheid, Munt. 90 72 13.
Blockchain, Cryptogeld, Financiering . | {
"date": "2023-06-08T16:13:38Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655027.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608135911-20230608165911-00369.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8544598817825317,
"token_count": 886,
"url": "https://instadex.io/bitcoin-block-download/"
} |
Born in The Netherlands • Raised in Aruba • Lover of good music • Huge board game fanatic • Got sorted into Hufflepuff • Drinker of peach Bellinis • Fan of Captain Raymond Holt (bingpot!) • Funny face maker in every photo • Night owl • Dog person • Appreciator of witticisms • Reader of all books • User of words like ‘kickassery’ and ‘dude’ • Allergic to shellfish • Empowered woman • Tattoo addict • Candy crusher • Drawer of doodles • Master ninja wannabe • Jiu-jitsu white-belt for life • Marvel geek • Halloween-is-the-best-holiday enthusiast • High-fiver over hugger • Skydiving bucketlister • Swims with elephants • Solo Monday matinee movie goer • Token sarcastic friend • Adorer of sequins & sparkles • Trotter of the globe • Occasional f-bomb dropper • Believer in unicorns & such • Sun and warm weather worshipper • Enjoyer of time spent with good folks • Supporter of laughter & the right to be happy • Proud liberal snowflake • Curly-haired bleeding heart • Huge game night fanatic • Antique furniture picker • Stingray hugger • Member of House Stark • Lifelong philologos + out-and-out verbivore • Dancer of the ridiculous variety • Pop culture freak • Excited supporter of all things hipster • Passport stamp collector • Ex-police officer • Ex-bartender • Happy mom & wife to a kickass crew.
my work is...
...happy, quirky, off-beat, easy-going, whimsical, fun and sexy. I can't help but to jump up and down and squeal whenever I take a dope photo. I constantly try to think outside the box, come up with new and exciting ways to keep this shindig fun for all involved. I thrive off of empowering women, making each one of you feel like a million billion bucks. I love being artsy, and have made angel wings, filled a tub full of florals, and hand-painted the dopest backdrop for shower photos to use to make the most unique, colorful and show-stopping portraits 'ver.
hey, it's emily.
Lover of life * Luckiest wife & dog mom * Field dancer * Star gazer * Fall leaves, crisp air & pumpkin spice give me life (but I’m anything but basic) * Quirky * Always love a bad pun (I’m often the one saying them) * Laughs at own jokes harder than anyone else in the room * Does the awkward closed lip smile at every stranger I make eye contact with * Food lover with a serious sweet tooth * Can blow bubbles of my own saliva into the air (gross? yeah sure but really fascinating I think) * Loves and appreciates all music genres especially yodeling and polka * Can be very sarcastic and hard to read but in the nicest of ways (does she really like yodeling and polka) * Enjoys late night snuggles with the pupparoo (husband too) * LOVES to dance- it’s the best way for me to relieve stress * Has the best family and friends in the whole world * Blessed everyday * Nature lover * Chunky dunking enthusiast * Enjoys flashing the world from mountain tops * A true open book which you couldn’t close if you wanted to *
hello, my name is annaliese.
Jack of all trades. Makeup artist extraordinaire, personal trainer and self-proclaimed gym rat. I enjoy long romantic walks to the fridge. I don't eat animals, I snuggle them and talk to them in strange voices. If I had a bagillion trillion dollars I'd buy tons of land and adopt as many animals as I could. Also, s'mores, I like that shit. I love rock 'n' roll but don't think for one second that when an old Spice Girls jam comes on that I don't crank that and get down with my bad self. My hair is pink but I change it so often that it might be purple or orange by this afternoon. I'm teaching myself how to play keyboard, slowly but surely. Pearl Jam forever. I love random dance parties and karaoke. It's Ana, like in Frozen, by the way. Natural weirdo. Music all of the time. My wardrobe is either black or obnoxiously bright, there is no in between. Peanut butter and a spoon solves most problems. Since I started writing this bio my hair is now pink AND purple. And green. I come from a big family and I'm the baby. I love being outside whether it be hiking, camping, kayaking, walking my pup, or just simply sitting in the sun breathing in the fresh air and thinking about anything and everything. I like to draw and paint but I'm so freakin' picky that it usually takes me forever to finish something. My little pony & ninja turtles, yes please. I own a moody cat named Penelope, and a crazy pup named Bubbles who's probably more photogenic than all of humanity combined. Shout out to sidewalks for keepin' me off the streets.
things to know
So, do I have to get fully naked to do a boudoir session?Yes. Just kidding, no.
You wear whatever makes you feel confident and sexy. If that is cotton pajamas, awesome. If that is absolutely nada, awesome.
I will however, gently guide towards the edge of your comfort zone, and maybe make you take a few steps outside of it, because you just never quite know how good it can feel to be daring!
Can I send you my Pinterest page with ideas and poses and suggestions?Ahhh, Pinterest. The site that makes me feel like a DIY, home-decoration failure on the daily. I really need to invest in a good glue-gun, y'all. While Pinterest is surely amazeballs to help you kind of hone in on what type and style boudoir you are envisioning, sending me a long list of images you want to recreate is really counter productive to how our time together would otherwise unfold naturally. Trust, I will take the very best photos of you. Pinky-swear.
When and how do I see my photos?OMG, this is my favorite part! You get to see your fully edited images for the first time at my studio during your private reveal session! We'll enjoy a glass of champagne, tea, or sparkling water as you gush over each and every image - and then we get to put together your very own custom order: albums, canvases, folio boxes and more, I have beautiful samples of everything we offer for you to look at, touch and imagine your own beautiful self in!
How does the hair + makeup part work?I have a group of really talented ladies who come to the studio to zjush you up for your portrait session - Annaliese (see above) is my main go-to HMU Artist and if you'd like to get fancy before your session in the comfort of our makeup room in the studio, please email her at [email protected] to book her services!
Okay, so I am totally in love with you, how do I book you for a boudoir session?Sweet! Follow this link and pick a date that works for you! Then get super stoked because it's going to be awesome, dude!
Do you travel for boudoir sessions?Is the atomic weight of Cobalt 58.9? If you aren't Egon Spengler...that would be an 'absolutely yes'! I love to travel, and exploring this little planet of ours as a photographer is one of the most rewarding things about my job. I'll be taking this party on tour really soon, and in the meantime, yes, I'll come to you, if you live a plane-ride away. :)
What about digital files?My biggest goal is to make sure you leave your session with gorgeous, long-lasting, high quality, TANGIBLE goodies. I'm talking albums, canvases and folio boxes with your favorite prints in them. So you can look back on our time together in the future and think to yourself "damn, I look good!".
Digital files tend to live in dark recesses of hard drives and USBs, only to be forgotten and never looked at again. So yes, you can definitely add on a set of digital files to your order, but don't forget about prints and albums!
This is also why I do in-person reveal sessions - your edited images won't ever be thrown into a cold, lonely online gallery.
Do you only photograph women?I photography mainly women, as well as gender non-binary people. I never say 'never' in absolutes, so if you don't fall into any of these categories, shoot me an email to chat and maybe we'll go from there!
Can we see the RAWs, and all the unedited images of ourselves?Asking a photographer to hand over their RAW, unedited work, is like asking your cake baker to bring you their batter and a bowl of fondant, and call it a day. Me shooting your boudoir session is only half of what you are hiring me for! The other half is where I remove misfires, doubles, and anything unflattering, I edit and deliver a wonderful gallery of all the wonderful photos I took of your wonderful self. :)
I promise, nothing worth seeing by you will be excluded. Everything else doesn't get ferried over to the mainland, and spends their days on the island of misfit images.
Do you offer payment plans?We can use Paypal Credit, putting your ordered goods in your hands right away (no need to wait on your end! yay!), and giving you up to 6 months of interest-free time to pay your balance.
Will you photography fully nude portraits?If you want to, absolutely.
I hear so much about 'photo credit', what is it and why does it matter?So photo credit, is when you post your photos on social media and, well, give us credit for taking that photo. A link back to our own social media in the caption will put a serious smile on my face and is very much appreciated. It is like the new millennium's version of word of mouth, and I love it long time.
Do you offer themed sessions?You can add on fifteen minutes to your session for 'shower photos' and/or fifteen minutes to wear my custom-made Angel Wings. :)
We might do themed sessions in the future; the best way to know when those happen is to be a part of our private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LauraDee
How far in advance do you usually book a boudoir session?Clients typically book about 45 to 60 days out, depending on studio availability.
Your browser is out-of-date!
This site utilizes modern web technologies. Please update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now | {
"date": "2021-07-29T16:40:16Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153860.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20210729140649-20210729170649-00177.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9307805895805359,
"token_count": 2340,
"url": "https://itslauradee.com/about/"
} |
Éclat is now on Discord!
Join us here!
Discord is a pretty cool platform where people can hold audio hangs, stream, create discussion threads, and share content. We're going to be using it moving forward as a non-Facebook alternative for connecting our community together.
Of course, we're not alone on Discord; there are many other music-making communities there! One of them is 'Women*s Producer Group' from the UK!
This is how they introduce themselves:
"This group is a safer space open to women, non-binary and gender nonconforming folks who are interested in music and production."
Once a month this group runs a Sample Flip challenge, and we're going to use the sample they've chosen for our own challenge this week. If you like what you make, I highly recommend that you join their server and submit your track to the April Sample Challenge Entries channel! Deadline for submission is the 24th of April; the 3 favourite tracks of the group get showcased on the WPG social media channels.
We're following their rules, which are pretty straightforward: flip the sample in whatever way you like!! You can either use the sample within a full track or just experiment with creating a loop. You can use the whole thing, cut it down and only use a section, speed up, speed down, re-pitch. Anything goes, as long as it is incorporated in some way. You can use any other sounds or samples that you like.
You'll also see that we've got Natalie Capello's wonderful Éclat Signature Sample in the pack as well... the sneaky part of my mind thought it would be kind of cool to have a bunch of Éclat tracks show up in the WPG group with some little, not-so-subtle promo in there too. :) Feel free to use or not use as you like!
Here's what we made:
Check out some tutorials on flipping samples below. | {
"date": "2021-07-30T16:22:44Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153971.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20210730154005-20210730184005-00418.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9483960866928101,
"token_count": 406,
"url": "https://www.eclatcrew.com/eclat-part-66/"
} |
Joshua Bloom, received his Bachelors in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he became involved as a student-activist. He was the Organizing Director for a key campaign to obtain more funding for student initiated outreach efforts to low income students of color in California.
The campaign was successful, and gave birth to rich programming and more opportunities for organizing through alliance. After college, he began working with young people in Oakland and San Francisco in the areas of workforce development, music & media, organizing and advocacy. In 2011, he became Project Director of the ‘Heal the Streets’ program (Ella Baker Center for Human Rights). He co-wrote and implemented a youth-led, participatory action research curriculum designed to examine the root causes of violence in Oakland, CA. In 2013, he became the CA Organizing Director for ‘Young Invincibles’, where he would oversee three campaigns engaging young adults in debate around Health care, Unemployment and Higher Education. Joshua is a San Francisco native, but currently resides in Los Angeles. He takes a lot of pride in his experience with the diverse communities of California. He has a vision of inspiring young people to become soldiers in the face of inequality by coaching them to love, be critical, and to never become adjusted to injustice. Joshua also works in the music industry as an A&R/ artist-manager, and believes that music is essential to understanding and uplifting our people.
Special Projects director
Zara Zimbardo is a speaker, teacher and published writer on topics of the social construction of whiteness, critical media literacy, Islamophobia, subversion of stereotypes in a time of war, modern monsters and the zombie apocalypse, and representations of gender, race, consumerism and imperialism/militarism.
Zara is a founding faculty of an online BA Completion program at Sofia University, and an adjunct faculty at the California Institute for Integral Studies in the BA Completion and MFA programs, teaching courses focused on anti-oppression curriculum, self and society, qualitative research methods, critical thinking, media studies, integral learning, global and postcolonial studies.
She is a co-founder of the White Noise Collective, which offers dialogues, workshops, consulting and resources to collectively investigate patterns common at the intersection of whiteness and gendered oppression in order to deepen the potential of white anti-racism work. As a former member of the National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the nation's oldest interfaith peace organization, she has worked in solidarity with nonviolent activists resisting militarism in the U.S., Palestine/Israel and Colombia.
Influenced by frameworks of critical pedagogy, feminist praxis and popular education that seek to make forms of shared knowledge and experience more conscious, these courses actively examine intersections of theory, practice, lived observation and insight. Zara’s pedagogy is immersed in multiple intelligences, which strives to cyclically engage diverse modes of knowing, learning and expression in ways that allow everyone’s gifts to shine. As an educator, she values opportunities to connect issues within the classroom to the world outside, through deeper understanding of power dynamics, identity construction, histories of the present, unexamined assumptions, and applied projects of relevance. Her goal is to support a context of curiosity, critical thinking and compassion that supports skilled navigation and justice-oriented care for the diverse worlds we inhabit.
Zara received her Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology and Social Transformation from California Institute of Integral Studies, and has a B.A. in Religious Studies from UC Berkeley. Originally from San Francisco, she is now an Oakland resident. For the last twenty years she has been a body-based therapist both in private practice and community health centers.
Aja Minor, MA is an educator with varied experience in social justice organizations from London to the San Francisco Bay Area. She dedicated her time to sharing Global, Human Rights and Popular Education curriculum with educational institutions across the world.
Aja has been fueled to create social change through her study of International Studies, Music, Anthropology and Migration. She is passionate about providing low-income youth of color with access to global education and ensuring global education is critical and socially responsible! Aja Minor currently teaches at Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy and is studying for a Masters in Education.
Kimberle Wolf is an accomplished administrative professional with over 20 years working as a business partner to chief executives, consultants, and business owners for both corporate and non-profit sectors. She provides back-end operational support in the realm of accounting, finance, administration and project management.
Her last corporate position, as Director of Human Resources at Revolution Analytics (a Microsoft company), Kim led efforts in business and HR operations including compensation and benefit structure, staffing, employee relations and supported senior management. She also is a certified virtual assistant and is currently providing operational and administrative support as an independent consultant. She has bachelors in psychology from the University of Phoenix and is married with five children. In her spare time, she loves to train dogs and is an advocate for the prevention of animal cruelty.
EMBODYING CHANGE director
Tatiana Chaterji is a restorative justice practitioner, youth organizer, artist and educator. She uses liberation arts to heal and activate young people and community members, particularly relating to the criminal system, structural violence, and historical trauma. She leads peacemaking circles and sessions in arts-based leadership for those at the intersections of criminalization, social neglect, and commercial-sexual exploitation. Read about her work at www.tatianachaterji.com.
A Bengali-American with heritage across the border between India and Bangladesh, Tatiana works toward reconciliation between groups at multiple ends of harm. With an eye toward 1947 Partition, displacement, fractured socio-political memory, and its renditions in the contemporary moment, she incorporates multidisciplinary tools to examine caste, communal violence, interracial/religious conflict, and meanings of self, society and culture. She conspires with political theatre collectives in her second/creative home of Kolkata, and coordinates “Beyond Partition,” a space for critical consciousness and healing for members of the South Asian diaspora.
Tatiana currently works as an RJ Coordinator within Oakland Unified School District, occasionally leading circles and theater classes in Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center. She proudly facilitates a performance-based residency at the Dublin federal women’s prison through California Shakespeare Theater. She served on the 2015-17 Program Team for Essie Justice Group, a network of advocacy and healing for women with incarcerated loved ones. She is a frequent guest instructor with ROOTS, the ethnic studies program at San Quentin through the Asian Prisoner Support Committee.
Tatiana was a collaborator with Love Balm for My SpiritChild, a testimonial theater project honoring women who have lost children to police brutality and community conflict. Previously at BAY-Peace, she trained Oakland teenagers in Theatre of the Oppressed and performance poetry, connecting storytelling to social transformation and counter-militarism. As a survivor of violent crime, she participates in victim-offender dialogues and speaks with diverse groups about accountability that moves beyond prisons, policing, and punitive discipline.
Levana Saxon, MA, develops strategic methodology, curriculum, training and research projects to support movement building and popular education. Over the last 25 years she has trained and facilitated thousands of children, youth and adults to support work for climate justice, migrant rights, racial justice and Indigenous sovereignty.
She has co-founded multiple organizations and projects dedicated to community-driven change, locally, nationally and internationally including UNEP's TUNZA Youth Advisory Council, the White Noise Collective, Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Youth Alliance, Bay Area Solidarity Action Team, the Ruckus Art Corps and PFCC. She was the Education Coordinator for Rainforest Action Network, Participatory Action Researcher with Youth In Focus and Training Coordinator for Movement Strategy Center. After working with the Paulo Freire Institute in São Paulo, she dedicated herself to making the theories and practices of Popular Education and Theatre of the Oppressed accessible to organizers, educators, researchers, and designers in the US. In addition to co-coordinating Partners for Collaborative Change, she can be found making giant puppets, gardening, or drumming. Both her Bachelors and Masters degrees are in Education for Social Justice.
Danny is a passionate facilitator, educator and community organizer who grew up in a family of social workers and consultants. They have over 10 years of experience facilitating dialogue from a lens of social identity and power. Danny has organized around issues of youth safety and gang violence prevention, transgender healthcare policy, and Islamophobia and BLM activismon college campuses. They work at both the interpersonal and structural level to break down systems of oppression and strongly value relational processes. Operating from the belief that social transformation is both necessary and possible, Danny is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations develop equitable systems, build power and move towards collective liberation.
Danny loves to be in front of the classroom. With practices strongly rooted in popular education and intergroup dialogue pedagogy, they have taught undergraduate and graduate level classes on social justice and diversity in social work, interpersonal learning and leadership and facilitating intergroup dialogues both at the University of Michigan and Stanford University. Danny has worked with corporate and nonprofit partners facilitating workshops including personal influence trainings, creating LGBTQ inclusive workplaces, strategic planning and organizational development, and navigating conflict by recognizing and working with power dynamics.
Danny has collaborated on many community-based projects with other facilitators, organizers, and teachers including helping to design and build the website socialjusticetoolbox.com to make social justice activities more accessible to facilitators, and establishing and supporting multiple groups for trans and non-binary people to build community both in Michigan and the Bay Area.
In addition to consulting and training work, Danny currently works at Stanford University as Associate Director of Queer Student Resources, designing social justice curriculums and developing resources for trans students and queer and trans students of color.
Danny is a queer, trans, mixed race person of color with a BA in Black Studies and a Masters degree in Social Work. Originally from Michigan, with a soft spot for the Great Lakes, Danny currently lives in Oakland, CA with their partner and two cats.
Coaching & Training Associates
(pronouns she/her/hers) is a mixed race, Japanese/Jewish/Anglo woman, who grew up in Berkeley California, and now resides there. She grew up during the movements of the 60s and 70s, which opened her eyes, inspired her social justice activism, and led her to work in nonprofits for about 20 years.
Laurin founded Mayeno consulting to work with communities and organizations to create inclusive, equitable, diverse spaces where everyone is valued and supported. Her parenting experiences have deepened her passion around gender diversity, which is now a major focus of her work. Her children’s book One of a Kind, Like Me/Único como yo, touches on gender diversity.
Rebecca is a queer Zimbabwean-American theater artist, creative consultant, producer and cultural organizer working at the intersection of art and social justice. They craft spaces for people to gain a sense of place and identity through the creation of art and the practice of storytelling.
Their work explores race, gender, religion, sexuality and class and seeks to illuminate and question the power structures that control our society. They have trained with ArtSpot Productions, Dah Theater, the Highlander Center for Research & Education, Urban Bush Women and Junebug Productions in performance, cultural organizing, devising, performance and story-telling. They currently work for their production and consulting company, Desired Evolutions which develops practices, leads workshops and creates performance to inspire embodied revolution.
Rebecca has been awarded numerous grants from Grinnell College’s Wall Award, Alternate ROOTS, the Network of Ensemble Theaters, the We Shall Overcome Fund, the National Performance Network, the Rockefeller MAP fund, NEFA and TCG to create their work. They are also a 2016 A Blade of Grass-David Rockefeller Fund Joint Fellow in Criminal Justice. Rebecca's most recent original works are their solo piece Looking at A Broad, Last Call’s Alleged Lesbian Activities, and ArtSpot Productions’ Cry You One. They are a co-director and co-founder of LOUD (New Orleans Queer Youth Theater) and serve on the board of the Network of Ensemble Theater. Rebecca resides in New Orleans. Their recent work with Cry You One, a touring performance and cultural organizing project creating awareness about the loss of land and culture in Southeast Louisiana heightened their commitment to integrating an intersectional analysis, specifically environmental justice to environmental work.
Ananda Lee Tan
Immigrated to Canada from India with his parents in the 1960s, and was later sent back to learn his language, cultural traditions and historic roots. Since 1986 he has organized local, national and international movement networks and alliances for land defense, worker rights, environmental justice, climate change, sustainable forestry and sustainable farming.
Over the last decade, Ananda worked as the North American Coordinator for GAIA, a grassroots network organizing for environmental justice and zero waste solutions around the world. During this time, he co-convened the Climate Justice Alliance, a formation of hundreds of frontline communities organizing for environmental justice and community solutions to climate change.
In 2013, Ananda helped organize the Building Equity & Alignment for Impact initiative – bringing together national environmental groups, grassroots movements and funders to build a stronger, more collaborative environmental movement. This initiative gave birth to the People’s Climate March of 2014, which Ananda helped plan and coordinate. Today, Ananda continues to work with the Climate Justice Alliance, the Labor Network for Sustainability and the EDGE Funders Alliance. In order to successfully tackle crises such as climate change and biodiversity loss, Ananda believes that national greens need to learn how to collaborate with communities first and most impacted by, and also cultivating real solutions to these global challenges.
S. Leigh Thompson
He is a white and mixed-race trans queer person with disability and has spent the last 20 years working at the intersections of art and social justice and equity, utilizing Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) techniques and working with and for queer and trans* communities, youth, immigrants and communities of color.
Leigh started organizing in Omaha against Nebraska’s so-called Defense of Marriage Amendment. Ever since Leigh has been dedicated to developing and supporting change-makers. He has experience as an organizer, advocate, lobbyist and campaign strategist at a number organizations, including the ACLU, GLSEN, Race Forward/Colorlines.com and The Forum Project. Currently Leigh is a freelance consultant and trainer at GoBeyondDiversity.com.
Leigh has studied TO and other critical pedagogy techniques for over 20 years, working with practitioners from around the world, and has trained with TO's founder Augusto Boal on multiple occasions. He has an MA from NYU focusing on utilizing TO for political and social change and is the President of Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed. He lives with his husband and tiny baby in Brooklyn, NY.
For as long as she can remember, Ellen Tuzzolo has been fighting for racial, social, and environmental justice as an educator, youth advocate, organizer, campaign director, policy analyst, and strategist.
She is most fired up by ending mass incarceration, teaching and studying antiracism, getting people of all ages outside, and breaking down barriers that prevent people from seeing and loving each other. During her many years in the south, Ellen worked with the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, and the Justice Policy Institute to shrink the wide and harmful net of the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
As Executive Director of Friends of Camp Little Notch, Ellen worked to conserve 2400 acres of Adirondack wilderness and jump-started the operation of Camp Little Notch, an outdoor education and retreat center where a growing community of people is practicing living in harmony with nature, each other, and themselves.
Ellen lives in Providence, RI, serves on the board of the Albany Social Justice Center, and is a proud member of the White Noise Collective. Currently, Ellen is the Program Director for The Discovery Center, headquartered in Farmington, CT. working in partnership with youth, families, schools, and communities to facilitate nurturing spaces where people can understand and challenge systemic racism and oppression.
Past Team Members
Tele'jon Quinn is a political educator, facilitator, poet and Theater of the Oppressed Joker. He began working with his peers as a youth leader at 15 with the Mosaic Project. For two years he wrote and performed Spoken Word poetry with Youth Speaks about the struggles that come with being a young person and was an Oakland youth poet-laureate finalist.
As a participatory action researcher with the Heal the Streets program of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Tele'jon investigated the Oakland Police Department and racial profiling. In his second year with Heal the Streets he helped facilitate a YPAR process to find community based solutions to the root causes of violence. In 2013 he traveled the country interviewing leaders in multiple fields as part of Roadtrip Nation. With Bay Peace, he facilitated and jokered around issues of militarism and the school to prison pipeline for 3 years. He cofounded REBYL and Partners for Collaborative Change where he currently works as a facilitator. | {
"date": "2019-03-22T16:04:33Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202672.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20190322155929-20190322181929-00270.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9493306279182434,
"token_count": 3600,
"url": "http://www.collabchange.org/team/"
} |
Teen smut in simply one of many all-time hottest genres of pornography ever, so there are lots of places on the web to search out the stuff. The bother is, most of those teen porn tubes are minefields of spam with shitty libraries of low-quality content. I’ve scoured the online for only the most effective depositories of contemporary poon and narrowed it down to those on this record. There’s lots of alternative in terms of navigating the relationship app pool and, as everyone knows, discovering romance is a bit more sophisticated than a simple swiping proper (or left) of the thumb on Tinder. Now you must assemble witty profiles on Hinge or make the first move on the app Pickable.
Is online dating difficult for lesbians?
Nowadays, most dating websites and social networks permit you to search for same-sex companions and friends from the LGBT group. But, on plenty of these websites folks belonging to LGBT group don’t really feel comfy, and it is understandable why. There shall be all the time someone who’s narrow-minded and can goal the particular person who has a unique life-style and understanding than they. Luckily, there are tons of locations on the internet the place individuals from LGBT can hang around and focus on the things they’re excited about (or discover love) with out being judged. That may be the courting sites or social networks that have a friendly group or sites and networks which are aimed completely towards the LGBT inhabitants. This is where you need to be, especially if you belong to LBGT youth class.
The app delivers three profile cards, daily, at lunchtime to your inbox. After swiping after which matching, the woman has 24 hours to ship a message, in any other case your match vanishes from your beeline. You can lengthen for a month-to-month payment, which might offer you those additional hours to launch your finest chat up strains.
That’s why finding a bisexual-friendly dating app the place your genuine self is both welcome and celebrated is so vital. If you’re a lady in search of a lady and you’re feeling like trying a dating app, we have put collectively a evaluate information of the ten finest lesbian relationship sites round at present. There’s something for everybody here, whether or not you’re seeking to date and see what occurs or maybe find a long-term, severe relationship.
What is one of the best relationship app for lesbians?
She’d spent so lengthy in extra queer-oriented areas, convincing herself for 15 years that she didn’t want lesbian-specific group. Romantic experimentation between ladies in school has turn into the topic of a quantity of B-rated films and the fantasies of a amount of men. But the issue is, experimentation in faculty does actually happen — and it’s just as frequent as you suppose. Here’s what 5 queer ladies needed to say about their first date with somebody of the same gender. «The article helped me collect the braveness to ask my girlfriend out, although I’m not yet sufficiently old to go to a bar.
The app that was based in 2012 has turn into one, if not, the largest courting app on the planet. There are lots of ways to precise your self and really let your personality shine in your profile. They also manage real-life events in huge cities throughout the USA. As of now, throughout every thing that’s taking place on the planet, they arrange plenty of on-line occasions.
Get the reddit app
Primarily targeted on lesbian courting, HER additionally makes a point of being inclusive and accepting of all types of queer and non-binary folks. Being the most important relationship app for LGBTQ+ girls, it’s an excellent setting to satisfy lots of likeminded customers as each a relationship tool and a community. Targeted toward bears and their admirers, or “bear chasers”, GROWLr boasts over 10 million members worldwide. With GROWLr, it’s straightforward to talk, ship pictures and videos, take pleasure in a video call, and even send a shout-out to your city. There’s an Events part to see what’s occurring in your areas, in addition to helpful Bear Bar and Bear Run listings — so you’ll by no means be in need of locations to meet bears close to you or all over the world.
Best courting apps for queer women?
In heterosexual matches, the girl has 24 hours to make the first move, and the person has 24 hours to respond. We don’t always know what we want, however honesty is considered one of the finest qualities that you can find in a person. Include in your profile if you’re in search of a long-term severe relationship or something extra short-term.
It’s okay should you find someone on an online relationship platform and they rejected the idea of dating after understanding the whole info. You can proceed dating as you probably did before with common people, or you can choose singles with herpes. But, Tinder additionally presents its share that is honest of profiles, therefore we can’t truly blame the platform with this problem.
The ever-popular app enables you to and others anonymously specific interest in one another, and if and when a match occurs, it allows you to make contact and see what occurs. OkCupid is a relationship website and app acquired in 2011 by Match Group Inc. — additionally the mother or father company of Tinder, Hinge and Match.com. Over the years, the app shifted from its heteronormative perspective to make it a better fit for the LQBTQ+ neighborhood (and everybody else, really).
Best dating apps for lesbians in 2022
Typing ” Korean courting apps,” and eagerly ready for the “best” dating app to appear. A go-to for the reason that Nineteen Nineties, Match.com is a trusted favourite, and whereas it was round through the web’s dial-up days, it has moved progressively into today’s age. The app, with it’s focus on dedication preliminary attraction and chemistry, features signature parts such as an in-depth quiz and web-based version of software program. If you want Filipino Cupid and need to broaden your choices to all of Southeast Asia, Asian Dating is considered one of the greatest relationship websites to fulfill Asian ladies on-line. No matter how good a person sounds on-line, bear in mind you’re corresponding with a stranger until you meet in person and get to know them better. Your profile is your alternative to showcase your distinctive persona. | {
"date": "2023-05-30T18:48:26Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646076.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530163210-20230530193210-00592.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9427837133407593,
"token_count": 1395,
"url": "http://blog.topiaryinsurance.com/2023/05/26/best-lgbtq-relationship-apps-2023-the-best-choices-for-homosexual-folx/"
} |
This Brand New Queer Dating App Wishes One To Read, Not Swipe
In the last couple of years, the increase of exactly what The Atlantic termed “dating-app weakness” in 2016 has converted into something nearer to aversion.
Come july 1st analysts predicted that the increase of dating apps like Hinge, Bumble, and Tinder would slow in 2019. Gradually, dating-app usage is just about the social exact carbon copy of a check out into the DMV: tiresome but necessary.
Here is the market that is overcrowded the brand-new queer-focused dating application Lex is entering, however it attracts on completely different history than its predecessors. The search that is industry-wide a “gay Tinder” has produced Grindr, which caters primarily to males and will alienate shier users along with its meat-market sensibility in addition to significantly interchangeable woman-focused apps like Her and Scissr. Lex is distinctive it pulls from the long history of queer personal ads because it isn’t trying to reinvent straight dating apps—instead.
Lex expanded from the queer missed-connection Instagram web page , describes founder Kelly Rakowski, incorporating that _—which had been created in 2017—itself grew out from the Instagram, a web page she integrated 2014 to focus pictures of lesbians throughout history.
“I became searching over the internet to get content for and discovered these straight straight back dilemmas associated with the lesbian erotica mag On Our Backs, and also at the rear of every problem were individual adverts by lesbians hunting for love and sex.” Rakowski began screen-shotting these adverts and finally switched them in their very very own Instagram. Two years later on, Lex came to be as a separate, user-generated dating application. Rakowski ran a Kickstarter campaign to finance the software, increasing nearly $50,000, along with the assistance of a hired engineer and interns, she’s been able to bring queer history, alive and fighting, to the arena that is romance-tech.
Lex is out of its method not to ever exclude anybody (except cis, right males, that is) from the purview, billing itself as “a lo-fi, text-based dating & social application for lesbian, bisexual, asexual, & queer individuals. For womxn & trans, genderqueer, intersex, two-spirit, & non-binary individuals. for folks of marginalized genders, encouraged by old-school newspaper individual advertisements.”
That long range of accepted identities might lift some boomer eyebrows, but considering that the dating that is queer is a hotbed of transphobia, misogyny, and racism, the electronic exact carbon copy of an “All Are Welcome Here” banner seems profoundly necessary (specially after had been accused of experiencing a “white privilege issue” early in the day this present year).
Providing an area that isn’t for cis, right males includes danger, while the founders associated with women’s co-working space The Wing discovered once they had been struck by having a $12 million sex discrimination lawsuit. “The application isn’t for cis, right guys, but we can’t explicitly say that, therefore I had an attorney glance at the app’s text to ensure we weren’t likely to be sued by men’s legal rights groups,” says Rakowski.
The thought of a dating that is queer geared around words, maybe maybe perhaps not photos, feels liberating; queerness is intrinsically multifaceted, and Lex is amongst the first apps that seems to embrace the queer community’s complexity, not try to flatten it. This complexity ended up being on display during the Lex launch celebration at Performance area ny on 16 november. Coat, scarf, and hat-clad revelers of most stripes filled the space that is outdoor excitedly dealing Instagram handles and sipping cider from local pop-up bar Butch Judy’s. When expected in regards to the event’s 5 p.m. begin time, Rakowski claims with a laugh: “It’s lesbian hours.” Nevertheless, impromptu after-parties raged across Manhattan and Queens, with one Lex individual telling me personally, half-jokingly, “I’m here to fulfill my partner!”
It could appear astonishing for a dating application to draw a real, IRL crowd—it’s difficult to imagine Tinder or Grindr users flooding an area meet-up in quite exactly the same way—but part of Lex’s popularity originates from the way in which it may create a city because big as brand New York feel just like a town that is small. Missed connections abound on Lex, searching for everybody from “Librarian Glasses” to “G Train and Blue Scarf,” and Rakowski reports that the sum total quantity of advertisements posted considering that the app’s launch has recently struck 12,000.
The potential of an app like Lex to create a definitively queer social space feels expansive as gay bars are increasingly few and far between across the United States, with only three explicitly lesbian bars remaining even in liberal New York City.
Lex users can select to connect their Instagram records for their individual adverts, therefore it’s never as if there’s no avenue for one more component that is visual the browsing, but users have the humble, local-paper excitement of an individual advertising utilizing the instant gratification of reaching an international community straight away. “We’re perhaps maybe maybe not saying, вЂDon’t ever take a look at a person,’ but Lex is more about getting to learn some body first through their terms before simply taking a look at some selfie and swiping them away forever,” Rakowski says. | {
"date": "2021-07-29T09:33:52Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153854.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20210729074313-20210729104313-00635.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9493757486343384,
"token_count": 1370,
"url": "https://www.adelaideheritage.net.au/this-brand-new-queer-dating-app-wishes-one-to-read-6/"
} |
- 1. Wide user base
- 2. Easy to use interface
- 3. Comprehensive profile creation options
- 4. Variety of search filters
- Lack of safety features
- Limited user base
- High subscription fees
- Inaccurate matching algorithms
lespark Review 2023
Lespark is an online dating app that connects people around the world. It was created to help users find new friends, dates, and even potential life partners. The platform has grown rapidly since its launch in 2018 and now boasts over 10 million active users from all corners of the globe.
The lespark app caters primarily to young adults between 18-35 years old who are looking for a connection with someone special or just want to meet like-minded individuals in their area. This demographic makes up the majority of lespark’s user base but it also includes older singles as well as those seeking more casual relationships such as friendships or networking opportunities with other professionals within their industry sector.
Lespark is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., which also owns WeChat and QQ messaging services among many others across Asia Pacific region including China, India, Indonesia Malaysia & Thailand where it’s most popularly used . To use this service you don’t have pay anything ,it’s completely free however there are some features available only after subscription (premium membership).
For accessing LesPark App one can download it from Apple Store/Google Play store depending upon your device type ios/android respectively once downloaded then open register yourself using email address /phone number etc details required at time registration process will be completed soon afterwards you’re ready start exploring les park full fledged way !
As mentioned earlier LESPARK has become very popular due its unique concept providing safe environment for making connections through verified profiles . With growing numbers daily ,It continues remain preferred choice when comes finding perfect match whatever may be purpose whether friendship love relationship business related contacts etc..
How Does lespark Work?
The Lespark app is a revolutionary dating platform that connects people from all over the world. It offers users an easy and secure way to find potential matches in their area or abroad, as well as providing them with access to exclusive events, activities and experiences tailored for singles. With its innovative features such as ‘Lepoints’ which rewards users for completing tasks within the app, it has become one of the most popular apps amongst young adults today.
Finding profiles on Lespark is simple; you can search by location or interests using filters like age range, gender identity/orientation etc., making sure you get only relevant results when searching through thousands of active members worldwide! There are two types of user accounts available – free membership (which allows basic functions) and premium subscription (with more advanced options). Both offer great value but if you want full access then opting for a paid account would be ideal.
In terms of demographics there are currently 5 million+ registered users across five countries – United States, Canada , Mexico , India & Australia . The majority come from USA followed by India where it has seen tremendous growth since launch due to its focus on South Asian communities who have found success in finding love online via this application .
For those looking for something more than just casual flings there’s also ‘Meetup’ feature which helps connect compatible individuals based upon mutual interests such as sports , music festivals etc so they can meet up offline at designated locations around cities mentioned above ! This ensures safety while meeting someone new without any fear associated with traditional online dating platforms . Furthermore these Meetups often include special discounts & deals offered exclusively through Lepoints earned within App itself thus adding extra incentive towards joining community!
Finally what sets apart Lespark from other competitors out there is their customer service team ; dedicated professionals working round clock ensuring every query gets resolved quickly & efficiently regardless how big small issue may be ! They even provide 24/7 support line during emergencies along with detailed FAQ section answering common questions about usage policy payment plans etc giving peace mind knowing your data safe hands whenever needed most !
- 1.Advanced Search: LesPark offers a powerful search engine that allows users to find the perfect match based on their interests, hobbies, and lifestyle.
- 2. Private Chatting & Messaging: Users can privately chat with each other in real-time or send messages for more meaningful conversations.
- 3. Activity Feeds & Notifications: Stay up-to-date with what’s happening around you by viewing activity feeds from nearby users and receiving notifications when someone likes your profile or sends you a message!
- 4. Photo Sharing Gallery: Share photos of yourself and others through the photo sharing gallery so everyone can get to know one another better!
- 5. Group Discussions & Events Calendar : Join group discussions about topics relevant to LGBTQ+ individuals as well as view upcoming events near you all within LesPark’s platform!
- 6 .Verified Profiles : All profiles are verified manually by moderators ensuring safety while browsing potential matches online
Registration – How Easy Is It?
Registering on the Lespark app is a simple process. First, users must download and install the app from either Google Play or Apple App Store. Once installed, they will be prompted to create an account by entering their email address and creating a password. After this step has been completed, users are required to fill out some basic information such as gender identity (including non-binary options), age (minimum 18 years old) location preferences and interests in order to find potential matches nearby them geographically or with similar interests/hobbies. Finally after submitting all of these details successfully, new members can begin browsing profiles for free before deciding if they want upgrade their membership for more features like messaging other members directly etc.. The minimum age requirement for using LesPark is 18 years old which means that minors cannot register on it legally; however registration itself is free so no payment needs to be made when signing up initially unless one wishes access additional features offered through premium plans later down the line .
- 1.Provide a valid email address
- 2. Create a secure password
- 3. Agree to the terms and conditions of use
- 4. Enter your full name, date of birth, gender and country/region
- 5. Choose an avatar or upload a profile picture (optional)
- 6. Select interests that you would like to follow on Lespark (optional)
- 7. Verify your account by clicking on the link sent in an email from Lespark 8 . Add payment information if you wish to purchase any services offered by Lespark
Design and Usability of lespark
The lespark app has a modern and vibrant design with colors that are pleasing to the eye. The profiles of other people can be easily found by using the search bar or exploring through different categories such as age, location, interests etc. Usability is also great on this app; all features are easy to access and understand due to its intuitive user interface. When you purchase a paid subscription there will be some UI improvements such as better profile customization options and more filters for searching others’ profiles.
User Profile Quality
Paragraph 1: LesPark is a social networking platform that allows users to create public profiles. Users can view other user’s profiles and set up custom bios, but there isn’t any “friends” feature or anything similar. Privacy settings are available for users so they can control who sees their profile information, such as location info which reveals the city of the user’s residence but not necessarily exact coordinates or distance between two people. There is also an option to sign in with Google or Facebook accounts if desired by the user and fake accounts are monitored closely on this site making it safe from fraudsters and spammers.
Paragraph 2: Location info within each profile cannot be hidden unless you opt out of providing your address during registration process however some basic safety measures have been put into place like hiding your exact coordinates away from public view while still allowing others to see what city you live in without knowing exactly where you reside at all times. This helps protect privacy while still giving potential matches an idea about proximity when looking through different profiles nearby them geographically speaking . Premium subscriptions do offer certain benefits like access to more features than regular memberships provide though none related directly towards improving one’s profile quality specifically besides maybe being able to add additional photos etcetera depending on subscription plan chosen..
Paragraph 3: Profile quality overall tends vary greatly amongst individual users due how much effort they put into creating content worth reading since many choose just upload pictures instead filling out bio section entirely leaving little room conversation starters once contact has been made online although those wanting stand-out above rest may want consider taking time craft something truly unique capture attention prospective partners quickly easily before moving onto next person list scrolling through endless possibilities offered lespark website today!
At the time, lespark does not have a dating website. This is likely due to the fact that it has only recently become popular and there are other avenues for people to meet potential partners online. For example, many users of lespark use its social media platform or app as an effective way to connect with others in their area who share similar interests and values. Additionally, most modern dating websites require significant resources in terms of both money and manpower which may be difficult for a new business like lespark at this stage in its development cycle.
However, if such a site were available from Lespark it would offer several advantages over traditional methods of meeting someone special online or offline including greater convenience since all interactions take place within one secure environment; more accurate matching through sophisticated algorithms; better communication options such as video chat; increased privacy by keeping personal information private until two parties decide they want to meet face-to-face; and finally enhanced safety features allowing users peace of mind when connecting with strangers on the internet. Of course these benefits come along with some drawbacks too: namely costs associated with using certain services (such as messaging) plus risks related any type digital interaction involving real life individuals (e..g., catfishing).
Safety & Security
In terms of privacy policies within lespark’s service agreement with customers/users there are certain regulations which have been put in place so as not share personal information with third parties unless given explicit consent from said customer/user beforehand . They also provide clear instructions about how long collected data will remain stored , what type(s)of information may be requested during registration process ,and other important details such as usage rights & intellectual property ownership among others . In addition they make sure their customers understand why collecting some specific types info might benefit them while still keeping their right secure at all times
Pricing and Benefits
Is LesPark App Free or Paid?
LesPark is a social networking app designed for lesbian, bisexual and queer women. It allows users to connect with other like-minded individuals in their area, share stories and photos as well as join various interest groups. The question remains: is the LesPark app free or does it require a paid subscription?
Benefits of Getting A Paid Subscription on Lespark
The good news is that there are both free and paid options available when using the Lespark app. With the premium version you get access to exclusive features such as advanced search filters, unlimited messaging capabilities with all members (including those who have not yet liked your profile), ad-free browsing experience plus much more! Here’s an overview of what you can expect from getting a paid subscription on lespark:
- Advanced Search Filters – Get detailed results based on age range, location radius etc., so that you can find exactly what/who you’re looking for quickly & easily!
- Unlimited Messaging – Connect directly with any member regardless if they’ve already liked your profile or not – this feature gives everyone equal opportunity to make connections without having restrictions imposed by “likes” status quo. * Ad-Free Browsing Experience – Enjoy uninterrupted time while exploring profiles & content without being bombarded by ads every few seconds which makes navigation smoother than ever before! * Premium Support Team Accessibility – Have direct contact information at hand should any technical issues arise during usage; also benefit from priority response times whenever needed most urgently .
Prices And Refunds On Lespark Premium Subscriptions
When it comes down to pricing plans offered by lespark , there are two main ones available : monthly ($9) & yearly ($60). Both come equipped with full set of features mentioned above plus additional perks depending upon chosen plan duration ; e..g longer commitment period brings discounted rates compared against shorter one . As far refunds go , cancellation process must be initiated within 24 hours prior expiration date otherwise no refund will be issued accordingly . However customers may request prorated amount back provided valid reasons exist behind said action taken up front !
Overall speaking users don’t really need payed subscriptions in order use les park but doing so grants them extra benefits over regular account holders such us increased exposure through featured placements among others thus making investment worthwhile overall !
Help & Support
Accessing support on Lespark is easy and straightforward. The platform offers a variety of ways to get help, depending on the type of issue you’re facing.
The first option for accessing support is through their website page ‘Help & Support’ which provides answers to commonly asked questions as well as detailed instructions about how to use certain features or troubleshoot any problems that may arise while using the app. This page also includes contact information such as an email address and phone number if further assistance is needed from one of their customer service representatives. Response times vary but are generally quite fast with most inquiries being answered within 24 hours or less during business days (Monday-Friday).
Another way users can access support on Lespark is by joining their online community forum where members can ask questions, share tips/tricks, provide feedback and more in order to get help from other experienced users who have encountered similar issues before them. There are moderators available at all times so it’s always possible for someone else in the community give advice or offer solutions quickly when necessary too!
Overall, there are plenty of options available when it comes time needing assistance while using Lespark – whether it be via direct contact with customer service reps over email/phone call; finding quick answers through Help & Support section; connecting with others in online forums – making sure your needs will be met promptly no matter what kind problem arises!
Yes, lespark is a safe platform for users. The website uses encryption technology to protect user data and transactions, making it difficult for hackers or other malicious actors to access your information. Additionally, the site has several security measures in place such as two-factor authentication which adds an extra layer of protection when logging into accounts. They also have robust customer service policies that allow you to quickly get help if something goes wrong with your account or purchase on their platform. Finally, they are committed to keeping all user data private and secure so you can feel confident using their services without worrying about having your personal information compromised by third parties
Yes, LesPark is a real dating site with real users. The website was founded in 2014 and has since become one of the most popular lesbian-specific dating sites around. It boasts over 10 million registered members from all around the world, making it an ideal place to meet other LGBTQ+ women who are looking for love or friendship. The site offers various features such as profile matching algorithms, private messaging options and even live video chat rooms so that its users can get to know each other better before deciding if they want to take things further offline. In addition, LesPark also provides safety tips on how best to protect yourself when using online dating services like theirs – something which should be taken into consideration by anyone considering joining any kind of online platform where meeting strangers is involved!
Using the Lespark app is easy and convenient. First, you will need to download the app from either Google Play or Apple App Store depending on your device type. Once downloaded, open up the application and register for an account by entering in some basic information such as your name, email address and a password of choice. After registering for an account with Lespark you can start using its features right away! The main page provides access to various sections including “Discover” which allows users to browse through different activities that are happening around them; “My Events” where one can view their upcoming events; “Create Event” which enables users to create their own event; and finally there is also a section called "Chat" where people who have joined any particular activity/event can communicate with each other directly within the app itself. Overall, it’s quite simple yet powerful tool that helps make organizing social gatherings easier than ever before!
Yes, Lespark is free to use. The app allows users to meet new people and make friends in their local area without any cost. It also offers a range of features such as group chats, profile customization options, and photo sharing that can be used for free. Additionally, the platform provides various tools like video calls and voice messages so that users can stay connected with each other even when they are far apart from one another. All these services come at no charge which makes it an ideal choice for those who want to socialize online without spending money on subscription fees or membership charges.
Yes, Lespark is working and it can be used to find someone. It is a social networking app that allows users to connect with each other based on their interests and preferences. Users can create profiles, search for people in their area or around the world who share similar interests as them, chat with potential matches via text or video call and even arrange dates if they choose to do so. The app also has features such as group chats where multiple users can communicate at once, allowing them to make new friends from all over the globe easily!
In conclusion, LesPark is a great dating app for the LGBTQ+ community. It offers users an easy-to-use platform to find partners and friends in their area or around the world. The design of this app is modern and intuitive with its simple layout making it very user friendly. Its safety features are top notch as they have implemented measures such as profile verification to ensure that all members are genuine people looking for relationships rather than scammers or bots trying to take advantage of vulnerable individuals online. Furthermore, LesPark’s help & support team provides timely assistance whenever needed while also offering tips on how best to use the site safely when engaging with other members through messaging systems or video calls etc.. Finally, profiles on this website tend be quite detailed which makes it easier for users match up with potential partners who share similar interests and values thus increasing chances of successful long term relationships being formed from using this service! | {
"date": "2023-06-05T17:13:34Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652149.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605153700-20230605183700-00201.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9433822631835938,
"token_count": 4151,
"url": "https://datingstream.net/lespark-review/"
} |
The Pender UMC Traditional Service Opening Hymn “Jesus, Thine All-Victorious Love” on Sunday May 14, 2023 was played by Heidi Jacobs on piano and Brian Stevenson on organ.
This was Heidi’s first Sunday as Pender’s Pianist.
“Jesus, Thine All-Victorious Love,”
by Charles Wesley The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 422.
Methodists need no introduction to Charles Wesley. For that matter, neither do most singing Christians! Perhaps no other hymn writer except Isaac Watts is so well loved as Charles Wesley. Few were as prolific, at least, or as wide-ranging with regard to the theological topics they addressed….
“Jesus, Thine All Victorious Love” is found in the United Methodist Hymnal at No. 422. As with many Wesley hymns that we sing today, the four stanzas given in the UMH are but part of a much longer hymn called “My God! I know, I feel thee mine.” The complete hymn is found in Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists in the section, “For Believers, Groaning for Full Redemption.” Atop the hymn text in the early editions sits a scripture reference to Romans 4:13, which speaks of the promise God made to Abraham and the righteousness of his faith. The full hymn has twelve stanzas, which can be divided thematically into four groups. Stanzas 1 to 3 articulate an individual’s desire for intimate communion with God the Father using physical, even visceral, images. Stanza 2 is particularly beautiful and connects to the passage from Romans 4, using the language of faith:
I hold Thee with a trembling hand,
But will not let Thee go,
Till steadfastly by faith I stand,
And all Thy goodness know.
This opening group of stanzas speaks of how such an intimate relationship with God not only sustains us, but gives us “health, and life, and power, and perfect liberty.” The use of superlatives such as “all Thy goodness” and “perfect liberty” highlights well the Wesleyan idea of Christian perfection.
The second section focuses on the love of Jesus and that love’s redemptive power. There are several scriptural images at play, and as one might expect from Wesley, or indeed from most anyone writing about love, conversion of the heart is central to this section. The United Methodist Hymnal version begins with this stanza, which is number 4 in the original.
Jesus, thine all victorious love
shed in my heart abroad;
then shall my feet no longer rove,
rooted and fixed in God.
The third section of the text focuses on the Holy Spirit; its three stanzas are all included in TheUnited Methodist Hymnal. One particularly potent stanza speaks of the sanctifying power of the Spirit, highlighting another key tenet of Wesleyanism.
Refining fire, go through my heart,
Illuminate my soul;
Scatter Thy life through every part,
And sanctify the whole.
The fourth section brings to completion the sanctification of the believer and the experience of Christian perfection. The poetry of Wesley’s final stanza is both beautiful and unequivocal in its theological witness:
My steadfast soul from falling free,
Shall then no longer move;
But Christ be all the world to me,
And all my heart be love.
Those who might bravely choose to sing all twelve stanzas of this hymn would experience a beautiful, thoroughly trinitarian witness to the redemptive power of God’s love in Jesus Christ through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. However, most congregations will probably opt to sing a subset of stanzas. The four stanzas found in the United Methodist hymnal are well suited to the Easter season. Beginning with a stanza about the “victorious love” of Jesus Christ reminds us of Jesus’s resurrection and victory over death, that is, of Easter. Following that stanza, then, the next three stanzas about the working of the Spirit seem to suggest the kind of liturgical flow that the Church experiences in the transition from Easter to Pentecost. That liturgical flow is made especially apparent in Year C of the Sunday lectionary, when the gospel of Luke is read.
“Jesus, Thine All Victorious Love” is a common meter text (22.214.171.124.) and could be sung to a great many tunes. It is often paired with Lowell Mason’s version of AZMON, which is ideal for most stanzas of the text. The iambic structure of the hymn aligns well with the fact that AZMON begins with a pickup note. However, because two lines of the stanza “Jesus, thine all victorious love” begin with a stressed syllable (“Je-sus” and “root-ed”), using AZMON, which has both a pickup and fast note values on the downbeat of each measure, could be awkward. One might consider singing the hymn to a common meter tune that begins without a pickup, such as ST. AGNES. Regardless of the tune chosen, though, or the number of stanzas one endeavors to sing, “Jesus, Thine All Victorious Love” is an exemplary Wesleyan hymn. Consider it the next time you sing during Eastertide.
Adapted from https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-jesus-thine-all-victorious-love-wesley
The Pender UMC Traditional Service Prelude “Great is Thy Faithfulness” on Sunday May 14, 2023 was played by Hetty Jacobs on piano. This was Hetty’s first Sunday as Pender’s Pianist.
The Pender UMC Traditional Service Opening Hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” on Sunday July 10, 2022 was played by Liz Sellers on piano and sung by the Pender Congregation.
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
Thomas O. Chisholm The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 140
A native of the small Kentucky town of Franklin, Thomas Obediah Chisholm (1866-1960) was born in a log cabin. He lacked formal education. Nevertheless, he became a teacher at age sixteen and the associate editor of his hometown weekly newspaper, the Franklin Advocate, at age twenty-one.
In 1893 Chisholm became a Christian through the ministry of Henry Clay Morrison, the founder of Asbury College and Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Morrison persuaded Chisholm to move to Louisville where he became editor of the Pentecostal Herald. Though he was ordained a Methodist minister in 1903, he served only a single, brief appointment at Scottsville, Kentucky, due to ill health. Chisholm relocated his family to Winona Lake, Indiana, to recover, and then to Vineland, New Jersey, in 1916 where he sold insurance. He retired in 1953 and spent his remaining years in a Methodist retirement community in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
By the time of his retirement, he had written more than 1200 poems, 800 of which were published. They often appeared in religious periodicals such as the Sunday School Times, Moody Monthly, and Alliance Weekly. Many of these were set to music.
Hymnologist Kenneth Osbeck provides the background for “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Chisholm had sent a number of his poems to the Rev. William H. Runyan (1870-1957), a musician with the Moody Bible Institute and one of the editors of Hope Publishing Company in Chicago. Runyan wrote of the hymn: “This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry over its message in a worthy way, and the subsequent history of its use indicates that God answered prayer. It was written in Baldwin, Kansas, in 1923, and was first published in my private song pamphlets.”
George Beverly Shea (1909-2013), the famous Canadian-born singer of the Billy Graham Crusades, introduced this hymn to those attending the evangelistic meetings in Great Britain in 1954. It immediately became a favorite.
A phrase in Lamentations 3:22-23 provides a basis for the refrain: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Stanza one emphasizes God’s unchanging nature: ” . . . there is no shadow of turning with thee;/thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not.” Perhaps James 1:17 provides the scriptural basis for this concept: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
In stanza two, the natural created order, including the cycle of the seasons, bears witness to the faithfulness of God. The final stanza brings the eternal, unchanging God into contact with humanity. We receive from the presence of God “Pardon for sin and a peace that endures.” Indeed, William Runyan’s tune was the ideal musical complement to the warmth of the text. The subtle changes in harmony and the solemnity of the melody amplify the text, bringing the climax on the word “faithfulness” perfectly at the end of the refrain.
This hymn appeared in many evangelical hymnals and song collections, but was not chosen for an official Methodist hymnal until the current United Methodist Hymnal (1989), even though the author was a Methodist. It was a very popular hymn of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church and had been included in their hymnals.
According to Carlton Young, “Great is thy faithfulness” was second only to “In the garden” as the most requested hymn for inclusion in The United Methodist Hymnal. A survey conducted in 2000 by Dean McIntyre, Director of Music Resources, Discipleship Ministries, revealed that “Great is thy faithfulness” remains one of the favorite hymns among United Methodists.
Dr. Hawn is distinguished professor of church music at Perkins School of Theology. He is also director of the seminary’s sacred music program.
“The Church’s One Foundation”
by Samuel J. Stone, adapted by Laurence Hull Stookey The United Methodist Hymnal, 546
Original text by Samuel J. Stone
“The Holy Catholic Church:
The Communion of saints.”
“He is the Head of the Body, the Church.”
The Church’s One Foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord, She is His new creation By water and the Word: From Heaven He came and sought her To be His holy Bride, With His Own Blood He brought her And for her life He died.
Adaptation by Laurence H. Stookey
The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord; we are his new creation by water and the Word; from heaven he came and sought us that we might ever be his living servant people, by his own death set free.*
Samuel John Stone (1839–1900), then a newly ordained curate at New Windsor Parish Church, wrote “The Church’s One Foundation” in 1866 as a direct lyrical commentary to a controversy in the Church of South Africa, part of the Anglican Communion. The controversy was between Bishop John William Colenso of Natal (an early apologist for the new theory of source criticism) and Bishop Robert Gray of Cape Town (apologist for traditional means of dating and tracing authorship in scripture). Stone’s text was a tribute to Gray’s view. The link between this hymn and the Colenso controversy is well-documented. In C. Michael Hawn’s History of Hymns column on the original hymn, it can be read in more detail: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-the-churchs-one-foundation.
The origins of “The Church’s One Foundation” are found in a lengthier publication titled Lyra Fidelium: Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles Creed (1866). The text is constructed around ideas from the ninth article, “The Holy Catholic: The Communion of Saints,” bearing a subtitle from Colossians 1:18, “He is the head of the body, the Church,” and embeds portions of at least 38 scripture passages. H.E.C. Stapleton writes,
The strength of the hymn lies in the simplicity and directness of its message, the vividness of its metaphors, and the deliberate, distinct echoes of words and phrases from scripture. In Lyra Fidelium, there are no less than four biblical quotations annotated to each stanza; in one, seven. It was hailed in Stone’s own time as “the battle-song of the Church” (Stapleton, Canterbury Dictionary).
Including this panoply of scripture was likely a result of Stone’s concern with the orthodox position of the primacy of scripture, one of the central points of the controversy. These passages, as noted by Stone, are as follows:
Two years later, the text was reduced to five stanzas with Stone’s cooperation, resulting in the version most congregations now use. About twenty-two years after its composition, this hymn took its place as a significant lyrical text of the church. Stapleton writes:
The hymn came into its own at the Lambeth Conference in 1888 when it was sung at all the primary services. It is recorded that at St Paul’s Cathedral, its effect was so powerful that the singers were physically overwhelmed: “It made them feel weak at the knees, their legs trembled, and they felt as though they were going to collapse” (Stapleton quoting Wesley Milgate, Songs of the People of God, 1982).
LAURENCE STOOKEY’S ADAPTED TEXT
The adaptation by United Methodist seminary professor and liturgical scholar Laurence Hull Stookey (1937–2016) first appeared in The Upper Room Worshipbook (1983), and then in The United Methodist Hymnal (UMH) following the 1988 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. This was a critical conference concerning the hymnody of the church. The United Methodist Hymnal was adopted at this conference as well as a mandate concerning significantly altered texts, requiring both the original and the altered text to be placed side-by-side. This mandate created space for Stookey’s adaptation, considered to be an “inclusive, ecumenical, and nonsexist” version of the original. This was the only instance in which the mandate of the General Conference was implemented (Young, 1993, p. 629).
Although inclusive language in contemporary hymns is gaining wide acceptance, the adaptation of well-known texts remains controversial and lives in a narrow space, with one side being possible issues of non-equity/non-representation—the other being retention of language that holds to the integrity of the original text. In addition, further divisions arise in churches and church bodies about gendered language, archaic language, and subtle changes of theology from adapted texts. These divisions are far too large a conversation to address in this article. Still, careful reflection on the practice of adaptation does bear on Stookey’s text.
It is interesting to note that Stone’s language, which directly addressed the issues of the 1866 controversy, is largely untouched by Stookey, honoring the original impetus of the text. In stanza three, direct statements align with Stone’s concern when he writes, “by schisms rent asunder, / by heresies distressed.” In stanza 4, there is language that perhaps describes the feeling of the church, saying, “Mid toil and tribulation, / and tumult of our war.” These statements, retained by Stookey, remain faithful to the original wording, though the cultural, historical, ecclesial, and theological contexts differ. Hawn also notes in his article, writing, “The church exists in a constant state of controversy and potential schism. In many ways, this text articulates feelings that are as fresh as ever” (Hawn, “History of Hymns”).
The most noticeable aspect of Stookey’s adaptation concerns Stone’s use of feminine pronouns, drawing on the metaphor of the church as the bride of Christ: “Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior” (Eph 5:22–23, NRSV). The subjugation of women as the context for the ecclesial metaphor is troubling for many Christians. Stone’s text is replete with this metaphor, beginning with the first stanza: “The church’s one foundation / is Jesus Christ her Lord.” This gendering of the church is strongly underscored in the third phrase, “from heaven he came and sought her / to be his holy bride” (emphasis added) and remains present throughout the near entirety of the hymn. It is only in the second half of Stone’s final stanza that we finally sing that “we” are the church referred to in this text.
In Stookey’s adaptation, he replaces feminine pronouns and phrases with “we” language. Often, Stookey is straightforward, substituting “our” and “we” for “her” and “she.” Sometimes, he changes short phrases, such as “one holy name she blesses” to “one holy name professing.” Another short example is the change of text from “and to one hope she presses, / with every grace endued” to “to one hope always pressing, / by Christ’s own Spirit led.” These shorter modifications subtly paraphrase the original—in the first instance, changing the idea of blessing God’s name to professing God’s name. This change shifts us from praising God to making an open declaration of God. In the adaptation, the singers move from being infused with grace to following the leading of the Spirit, both of which are evidence of God’s work within us.
Less frequent are instances of adaptation on a larger scale. The last four lines of the side-by-side texts cited at the beginning of this article exemplify this. This adaptation, quite different in the language used, retains the original ideas of being sought out by Christ and the claim of salvation for the church through the death of Christ but adds the church’s identity as servant people, something not seen in the original text.
Another aspect of Stookey’s adaptation concerns ecumenism and inclusivity in addition to reworking feminine pronouns and images in the text. Stone’s original second stanza begins with “Elect from every nation” (his first draft said, “She is from every nation”). Stookey broadens the meaning in his adaptation— “Called forth from every nation.” The term “elect” may have had its origins in the influence of Calvinism and Reformed doctrine on The Anglican Church at this time. The clause, “from every nation,” may reflect England as a world political and military power at the height of its colonial influence around the world. The Anglican communion was a worldwide catholic (universal) church. The idea of the “elect” of God is a crucial doctrinal distinct from one embraced by the United Methodist Church. By changing “Elect from” to “Called forth,” Stookey reflects the Wesleyan doctrine of free grace and universal availability of prevenient grace to all people.
These are, by far, not the only issues taken up by Stookey in his adapted text that bear further discussion. By changing the perspective from third person (feminine) to the first-person plural, Stookey changes our idea of ecclesiology—the nature of the church. Perhaps we can consider these initial understandings, recognizing Stookey’s offering as a theological reflection that moves our sung faith toward non-binary gendered language and allows for the inclusion of all among Christ’s called. The church’s ministry and our perception of the church in the twenty-first century are changing. Thankfully, we rest on the tradition of the saints but must also sing a faith that is vibrant and efficacious in our time.
Laurence Hill Stookey was a beloved professor of preaching and worship at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C., from 1973–2007. Many consider Laurence Stookey to be among the four most influential United Methodist liturgical scholars of the later twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This list includes Hoyt Hickman (1927–2016), James W. White (1932–2004), and Don Saliers (b. 1937). They worked together to reform Protestant worship following the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) by emphasizing the Revised Common Lectionary. Additionally, they collaborated on the United Methodist Book of Worship (1992) and the Handbook of the Christian Year. Stookey came out of the Evangelical United Brethren tradition, helping United Methodists appreciate the “United” part of their heritage.
Stookey was a native of Illinois, graduating from Swarthmore College, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary. He was also a gifted musician who enjoyed playing several instruments. His creative and practically written trilogy of texts has proven invaluable to students and pastors. They include: Baptism: Christ’s Acts in the Church (1982), Calendar: Christ’s Time for the Church (1996), and Eucharist: Christ’s Feast with the Church (1993). If you participate in a baptismal liturgy in a United Methodist Church, you will likely hear and speak words by Laurence Stookey.
Carlton R. Young, Companion to The United Methodist Hymnal (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993).
Victoria Schwarz is a provisional deacon in the Rio Texas Conference and serves as the Associate Pastor and Minister of Music at Berkeley United Methodist Church in Austin, TX. She is active in the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts.
“My Hope Is Built”
Edward Mote The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 368
The Pender UMC Traditional Service Closing Hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” on Sunday January 15, 2023 was played by Uriah Moore on piano, accompanied on guitar by Brian Stevenson and sung the Pender Sanctuary Choir and congregation.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare note trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
Edward Mote (1797-1874) falls into the rare category of hymn writers who grew up without religious training and whose parents were pub owners. He was apprenticed at a young age by his parents to a cabinetmaker, but found faith when he heard the preaching of John Hyatt at the Tottenham Court Road Chapel in London at age 15.
Living in Southwark near London, he established a successful cabinet-making enterprise and became a Baptist minister in 1852, at 55 years of age. He ministered for 21 years at Strict Baptist Church in Horsham, Sussex.
Singing hymns was of great interest to him. The master cabinetmaker became a prolific hymn writer, composing more than 100 hymns. He published his hymns with selections by others in 1836 in Hymns of Praise, A New Selection of Gospel Hymns. Hymnologists note that this is the first time the now common term “gospel hymn” appears.
American Methodist hymnologist and hymnal editor Robert Guy McCutchan notes that the hymn was probably written in 1834 and originally began, “Nor earth, nor hell, my soul can move.” The original title was “Jesus, my All in All.” Mr. McCutchan cites the origin of this hymn narrated by the composer as it appeared in a London periodical, The Gospel Magazine:“One morning it came into my mind as I went to labour, to write an hymn on the ‘Gracious Experience of a Christian.’ As I went up to Holborn I had the chorus,
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
“In the day I had four verses complete, and wrote them off…. On the Sabbath following… by the fireside [I] composed the last two verses… Brother Rees of Crown Street, Soho, brought out an edition of hymns (1836) and this hymn was in it.”
Baptist hymnologist William Reynolds summarizes the rest of the story: “The next Sunday [Mote] visited the home of some fellow church members where the wife was very ill. The husband informed Mote that it was their custom on the Lord’s Day to sing a hymn, read the Bible, and pray together. Mote produced the new hymn from his pocket, and they sang [“The Solid Rock”] together for the first time.”
UM Hymnal editor Carlton Young notes in his Companion that the hymn is of uneven quality. Indeed, the version in our hymnals today is the result of careful editing of the original six stanzas into four, choosing the most coherent lines from the original.
One can quickly see how the best lines of Mote’s two original stanzas were combined to make a much more articulate whole in the stanza cited at the beginning of this article.
Dr. Young comments on the revised product: “[This hymn’s] compelling topic—the parable about the security of building a house on rock, as opposed to sand (Matthew 7:24-27)—and subsequent redaction and setting to a simple, repetitious, foot-stomping tune have merged to form a hymn of faith that over the generations has proved useful and comforting to many in their daily spiritual journey.”
The “foot-stomping” tune was composed by American gospel song composer, William Bradbury (1816-1868), a fellow Baptist, for Mote’s text in 1863 and appeared during the American Civil War in Bradbury’s Devotional Hymn and Tune Book (1864).
“God of Grace and God of Glory”
Harry Emerson Fosdick The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 577
God of grace and God of glory,
on thy people pour thy power;
crown thine ancient church’s story;
bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour.
Pender Opening Hymn “God of Grace and God of Glory” May 22, 2022 accompanied by flute and cello.
“God of grace and God of glory” was written in 1930 by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969) for the dedication of the famous Riverside Church in New York City.
Fosdick was granted degrees from Colgate University and Union Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1903 to ministry in the Baptist Church and became pastor of First Baptist Church, Montclair, N.J.
Fosdick served as a chaplain during World War I and then was pastor of First Presbyterian Church in New York City. From this congregation he was called to pastor Park Avenue Baptist Church, which was renamed Riverside Church.
As we sing this hymn, perhaps it is helpful to remind ourselves of the events that shaped the “hour” and the “days” that provide the context for this great hymn.
“God of grace and God of glory” was written while the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression between the two World Wars. Fosdick was a champion of the social gospel, a movement that recognized the plight of the poor, especially in the urban Northeast during the Industrial Revolution.
UM Hymnal editor Carlton Young has noted: “Fosdick’s stirring radio sermons, books, and public pronouncements established Riverside as a forum for the critique of the same wealth and privilege whose gifts had made possible the building of the church.
“Under his leadership Riverside Church was interdenominational, interracial, without a creed, and, astonishingly for Baptists, required no specific mode of baptism. At the center of Fosdick’s ministry was urban social ministry.”
Fosdick was perhaps the most vocal proponent of the social gospel of his time—a position that brought both wide acclaim and broad disdain.
The congregation moved to a $5 million edifice made possible by a gift from John D. Rockefeller Jr. The new building overlooked the Hudson River in what Fosdick called “a less swank district” than Park Avenue, where the congregation had been located near Harlem.
The hymn was written in the summer of 1930. It took shape as he reflected on the construction of the new building, and was first sung as the processional hymn at the opening service on Oct. 5, 1930, and again at the dedication on Feb. 8, 1931.
The language of the hymn is ultimately that of petition. “Grant us wisdom, grant us courage” concludes each stanza with the effect of a refrain. A petition begins stanza three with “Cure thy children’s warring madness,/ bend our pride to thy control.” The final stanza, equally prophetic, begins with “Save us from weak resignation/ to the evils we deplore.”
Fosdick wrote the text to be sung to the stately REGENT SQUARE (usually sung to “Angels from the realms of glory”). Methodist hymnologist and hymnal editor Robert G. McCuthan, however, first paired it with the Welsh tune CWM RHONDDA for the 1935 Methodist Hymnal. It was an immediate success and the new coupling has been almost universally adopted.
Hymnologist William Reynolds says Fosdick disapproved strongly of the new pairing. When Dr. Young asked the poet why he continued to oppose the use of CWM RHONDDA with his text, Fosdick replied, “My views are well known—you Methodists have always been a bunch of wise guys.”
That discussion notwithstanding, I object to the tempo played by many organists who take the hymn much too fast at the beginning, forcing the congregation to race through the prophetic petitions that conclude each stanza. The Welsh tune demands an appropriately stately tempo (think “processional,” not “horse race”) that gives the congregation time to absorb the challenges offered by the poet. | {
"date": "2023-06-04T20:07:45Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650264.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604193207-20230604223207-00018.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9585496783256531,
"token_count": 6769,
"url": "https://pendernews.org/category/videos/hymns/"
} |
I want an end to the default of binary gender in science fiction stories.
What do I mean by “post-binary gender”? It’s a term that has already been used to mean multiple things, so I will set out my definition:
Post-binary gender in SF is the acknowledgement that gender is more complex than the Western cultural norm of two genders (female and male): that there are more genders than two, that gender can be fluid, that gender exists in many forms.
People who do not fit comfortably into the gender binary exist in our present, have existed in our past, and will exist in our futures. So too do people who are binary-gendered but are often ignored, such as trans* people who identify as binary-gendered. I am not interested in discussions about the existence of these gender identities: we might as well discuss the existence of women or men. Gender complexity exists. SF that presents a rigid, unquestioned gender binary is false and absurd.
I intend to use this column to examine post-binary SF texts, both positively and critically, as well as for discussions of points surrounding this subject.
And I intend to use this column to go beyond Ursula K Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness.
Kameron Hurley wrote several years ago about the frustration of The Left Hand of Darkness being the go-to book for mind-blowing gender in SF, despite being written in 1968. Nothing written in the decades since has got the same traction in mainstream SF discourse—and texts have been written. For a bit of context, 1968 is almost twenty years before I was born, and I’m hardly a child.
One of the reasons Hurley considers for this situation (raised by someone on a mailing list she belonged to) is that:
“…perhaps Le Guin’s book was so popular because it wasn’t actually as radical as we might think. It was very safe. The hetero male protagonist doesn’t have sex with any of the planet’s inhabitants, no matter their current gender. We go off on a boys’ own adventure story, on a planet entirely populated by people referred to as ‘he,’ no matter their gender. Le Guin is a natural storyteller, and she concentrates on the story. It’s not overly didactic. It’s engaging and entertaining.”
The Left Hand of Darkness certainly has been radical, as Hurley says, in its time, in the subsequent years and in the present. I have spoken to several people who found The Left Hand of Darkness immensely important: it provided their first glimpse of the possibility of non-binary gender. The impact that it has had on people’s realisations about their own gender is not something I want to diminish, nor anyone else’s growth in understanding.
However, I do think it can be very palatable for people who haven’t done a lot of thinking about gender. It is, as Hurley says earlier in her post, the kind of story that eases the reader in gently before dropping the gender bombs, and those bombs are not discomfiting for all readers. Of course they’re not. How can one text be expected to radicalise every reader?
I don’t want to cast The Left Hand of Darkness aside. It’s an important part of this conversation. What I do want to do is demonstrate how big that conversation truly is. Other texts have been published besides The Left Hand of Darkness, many of them oft-overlooked—many of them out of print. Some of them are profoundly problematic, but still provide interesting questions. Some of them are incredible and deserve to be considered classics of the genre. Some of them are being published right now, in 2014.
“It breaks my heart that we are always rediscovering great women, excavating them from the relentless soil of homogenizing histories, seeing them forever as exceptions to a rule of sediment and placing them in museums, remarkable more for their gender than for their work.”
It seems to me that there’s a similar process for post-binary texts: they exist, but each reader must discover them anew amid a narrative that says they are unusual, they are rare, they sit outside the standard set of stories. This, at least, has been my experience. I want to dismantle the sediment—to not only talk about post-binary texts and bring them to attention of more readers, but to do away with the default narrative.
That process of (re)discovery is probably inescapable. A bookshop, a library or a friend’s/family member’s bookshelves can’t contain every book ever published, so new readers will always have to actively seek out stories beyond the first ones they encounter. What if, El-Mohtar wonders, the first books often included Naomi Mitchison? What if the first books often included multiple post-binary texts as well?
Conversations about gender in SF have been taking place for a long time. I want to join in. I want more readers to be aware of texts old and new, and seek them out, and talk about them. I want more writers to stop defaulting to binary gender in their SF—I want to never again read entire anthologies of SF stories or large-cast novels where every character is binary-gendered. I want this conversation to be louder.
To that end, I’ll be running this column: posting every two weeks, with discussions of books and short stories, as well as interviews and roundtables with other writers and readers of post-binary SF, because I strongly believe it’s important to hear multiple voices. I’m particularly interested in science fiction at the moment, but I expect I’ll cross genres as I run the column.
I hope you’ll join me in making the default increasingly unstable.
Alex Dally MacFarlane is a writer, editor and historian living along the Thames estuary. Her science fiction has appeared (or is forthcoming) in Clarkesworld, The Other Half of the Sky, Stone Telling and Gigantic Worlds. She is the editor of Aliens: Recent Encounters (2013) and The Mammoth Book of SF Stories by Women (forthcoming in late 2014). | {
"date": "2019-03-18T22:19:03Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912201707.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20190318211849-20190318233849-00379.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9632120728492737,
"token_count": 1329,
"url": "https://www.tor.com/2014/01/21/post-binary-gender-in-sf-introduction/?utm_source=exacttarget&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=tordotcom&utm_content=-na_continuereading_blogpost&utm_campaign=tordotcombookcoverage"
} |
Whilst still studying politics and sociology at Bristol University, Liv Little had an idea. Growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of diversity and whitewashed mainstream media she decided she needed to carve out own space.
From her bedroom, gal-dem was born – an online and print magazine that celebrates women of colour and non-binary people of colour. Fast forward three years and gal-dem is re-shaping the industry from the inside out. Whether organising inspiring editorials in print, hosting late nights at the V&A to a recent takeover with the Guardian Weekend, Little is breaking down barriers in the fashion, arts and publishing world. HUNGER caught up with the young creative to talk new narratives, how to amplify your voice and rules for success.
Hey Liv! When and why did you launch gal-dem, what was the driving force behind it?
I launched gal-dem in my final year at university. I really wanted to connect with like-minded people [and] it’s kind of grown since then. Everyone at gal-dem fits it around other jobs and commitments. For the first year it was running I was studying, doing my dissertation, juggling two jobs waitressing and also nannying! Then, at the end of last year I had a loss in my family – my stepfather passed away. It’s almost been a year this month. I took a few weeks out and then I went straight into a new job at the BBC; I was helping to produce digital content for a woman-focused strand. In January, I got offered a well paid job in a big organisation and I was like in order for this to grow I need to start developing [gal-dem] as a business rather than just solely a passion project. I’ve been working on developing our brand side of stuff. Obviously we’ve had the Guardian takeover and big accolades but for me it’s about really pushing it and getting that formal investment. It’s a lot of work but we have an incredible team who all work in different parts of the media. Day-to-day in our office inside Peckham Levels it tends to be our deputy editor, video editor and me. I feel like at the end of last year a lot of good things were happening but it was also incredibly stressful and painful.
What was the gap in traditional mainstream media that you wanted to fill?
There’s still a gap and I’m glad that we’re actually able to move towards filling it. If you look at the Guardian takeover that’s absolutely huge, that’s never happened on a national newspaper: every bit of content was produced by a woman or a non-binary person of colour. I hope things like that spur on other organizations to see that we’re good enough for not just a one off to have a voice [but] think we need to hire and work with those people continuously. We’re all guilty, it takes a little bit more effort to hire someone you don’t know but it’s worth it if the people who are hiring are only hiring people that are quite privileged and tend to be white. I can only hope that things like this signal a shift in the right direction in terms of where the future of media is going.
What practical steps need to be made to bring about a more inclusive and diverse media in 2k18, reflecting authentic experience?
I regularly work with the BBC in their digital factorial commissioning team to try and get more content which is a bit more representative of black people – based on the ‘Black and British’ series they did before. I think something that is really important is that it’s not just enough to hire a black actress or someone in a one-off role. The fact is, yes, being in front of the camera is really important but it’s also really important whose telling the stories. If you look at the fact that journalism is 94% white, who is getting to tell their stories? Who is working behind the scenes to make things happen? That has a direct impact on what happens on-screen. The first thing I would like to see is more people being hired in permanent roles behind-the-scenes, making the decisions. Until you have enough people who are making the decisions I don’t think you’re going to see the change perfected on what’s happening on-screen or on the cover of magazines.
What’s been a career highlight for you with gal-dem?
In 2016 we took over the V&A for a Friday late and it was the biggest one they’d done! I think 5000 people came on the night and we had managed to commission over 150 women of colour to take part in the space, from DJs, grime MCs or ‘In Coversation With…’ artists. That was the moment we thought ‘Oh my god, okay we’re on to something,’ and a community really will turn out to support. That was a really beautiful moment.
You’ve also signed to Storm model agency. What emerging designers are you really excited about?
We’ve worked a lot with Essie Buckman [Fortie Label] and HANGER and I really respect them and I really respect that they’re coming from an ethical standpoint – that’s what I love about them as much as how the clothes look. When we had our sustainability event it was really great that ethical fashion doesn’t have to be one certain type of hippie clothing. If I like something I wear it and that’s it.
Who is your forever style icon?
Any female creatives HUNGER readers need to be following on Instagam at the moment?
We have an amazing team of illustrators I’m really inspired by. One called Hannah Buckman (@texchures) and also our art director Leyla Reynolds (leylareynolds) – love love love! Her eye is really brilliant. Yuki Haze is really cool too (@yukihaze).
gal-dem’s HQ is inside the new creative hub Peckham Levels – what is your all-time favourite South London hangout?
Van Hing in Camberwell, it’s a Vietnamese restaurant and it’s really good food and it’s been there for as long as I can remember. That’s my main spot! I grew up in Camberwell and I just moved to Stratford so that’s an interesting change. When I have my grown up life I will so have it in South London!
What musicians are you really into at the moment?
I love Nao, she has a really beautiful voice, Raveena Aurora is great as well and brother KAMAU – his voice is stunning.
Finally, what’s your number one piece of advice you’d offer to any young creative wanting to start their own brand, be it in publishing or otherwise?
Just go for it! I didn’t really go in with the intention with it being a business as such it was really what I thought needed to exist in that time for me and people around me. But I didn’t know what it would become. I think that’s the beauty of it. If you have the right people behind something that are willing to put in a lot of effort then you can make things successful. I look at things like Black Girl Fest which was co-founded by two of my really good friends Nicole and Paula and they came up with this idea of running a festival for black women and they ended up having massive success in Shoreditch and now the second year is going to be even bigger and better and more brilliant. That’s because of the consistent levels of hard work they’ve put into it.
17 August 2018 | {
"date": "2021-07-29T18:00:44Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153892.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20210729172022-20210729202022-00502.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9765311479568481,
"token_count": 1645,
"url": "https://www.hungertv.com/editorial/the-muse-liv-little/"
} |
The basic guideline is that all members, users and guests of MyTransgenderCupid should treat others as they wish to be treated themselves.
That is, to treat each other politely, courteously with respect, thoughtfulness and understanding. Sending any hateful, hurtful, or content which constitutes harassment to anyone using MyTransgenderCupid is strictly not allowed and will not be tolerated.
Sending messages with sexual content and/or images is sexual harassment. You may end up receiving serious penalties for such behaviour.
This is an adult only site so please behave as an adult! We don't accept puerile behaviour.
If you are in any doubt, always remember there are three "golden questions" to ask yourself before you interact with or contact other members or online users:
- for any messages you plan to send, would you send or say them to a new work colleague or someone you just met at an event or function?
- if you are about to upload some photographs are the outfits (or lack thereof) or poses therein generally acceptable if you were in a public place?
- when you are creating your profile, will the content be suitable for a close friend or member of your family to read?
MyTransgenderCupid is a dating site for people who wish to meet others with similar interests, namely looking for long-term relationships. It is not a place where our members and users want to find out about your sexual fetishes or fantasies. It is not a site for you to vent your anger or frustration on people you hardly know or be hateful to others without any retort.
Our Transgender dating site is like a community service. It is somewhere you can chat to and interact with others about things which interest you both. By treating someone as you wish to be treated is by far the most effective way to make a meaningful connection and establish the rules for long-term relationship.
Set out below are some of our main guidelines and standards and advice on the levels of moderation we will engage. If you violate these guidelines we will find out and take appropriate action. If you see others behaving improperly, you can report them to us immediately.
For your easy reference, the contents of our guidelines can be summarised as follows:
Adults over 18 only
Explicit Sexual Content constitutes harassment
False or fake accounts
Text and names of profiles
Profiles need to be unique and genuine
Sharing Contact information
Behaviour when offline
Avoid Propagating Hate
Reporting breaches of or community guidelines
Adults over 18 only
MyTransgenderCupid only allows adults over the age of 18 to use the site. Minors under aged 18 are not permitted. When entering information into a profile it's only possible to enter an age of 18 and older. However, there are times when users will not provide their true age. In the event you become aware that a minor is attempting to use our dating site please do let us know.
If any member or user knowingly engages in inappropriate conversations with a person who they know is a minor under 18, such member or user will be banned from our site.
We have special rules and conditions for about acceptable photographs:
- profile photographs must be of the member or user or be photographs of things or places which you have personally taken;
- photographs displaying full nudity or being of an overtly sexual nature are not allowed. This may include suggestive photos of women in lingerie on a bed, photos of a kinky nature and so on;
- memes or logos or other depictions of any hate-based imagery are not allowed. This may include items of a racist or supremacist nature. Similarly, photographs of anything violent, causing offense, illegal, disturbing, or generally unsuitable or inappropriate for a dating site will be immediately removed and you are likely to be banned;
- any photographs showing contact information on them such as phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook details etc will also be removed. Should this rule be broken repeatedly, your profile may be blocked;
- any photographs showing members when they were children or of their children, but without them in the image, will be removed.
Any image will be removed where the holder of the copyright asks for it to be removed. This applies where it appears that the displayer is not the copyright holder and does not have permission to display such image.
Profiles of members and users may be removed and the member or user banned in the event of repeated violations of the above rules.
After we have removed photographs, we will email you with a warning. The warning will advise that repeated offenses will result in your profile being removed and you being banned. This really will happen, it's not an empty threat!
Explicit sexual content constitutes sexual harassment
MyTransgenderCupid considers that regaling other members and users with details of your sexual fetishes and fantasies without their agreement is quite inappropriate. Essentially, it's not what our members are looking for. If your photographs or profile are/is reported as offering sexually explicit or offensive content, kinky or unusual sex, we will take immediate action and consider banning you from our site.
Also, we do not permit unsolicited or unwelcome sexually explicit messages on MyTransgenderCupid. Nor are sexualized or harassing comments about other members or users' photographs acceptable. Don't misinterpret an invitation to hook-up as meaning that the other person wants to see sexually explicit photographs, videos or messages.
For the avoidance of doubt, the types of sexually explicit photos which are not permitted include those containing nudity, sexually explicit (ie showing your genitals) or overly intimate poses, photographs in underwear and kinky or fetish-based poses. All of these things constitute sexual harassment and we will ban any offenders.
Harassment of any sorts is not accepted. All messages should be respectful and you need to remember that you are talking to people you are just getting to know. You want to build a relationship with one of more some of them. Don't say things online which you wouldn't dare say in real life!
Insulting statements sometimes disguised as "flirting" or "just fun" or other rude or unpleasant behavior is also harassment and can lead to penalties. It's not only members or other users who get harassed but also a staff of MyTransgenderCupid. No matter who is being harassed, we will ban the message or photograph sender.
It should be obvious by now that the text in your profile must be respectful and inoffensive. You are looking for a date, not a fight! Any adversarial, combative, vulgar or hate-filled profiles will be removed and/or your profile banned.
The MyTransgenderCupid dating site is not to be used for commercial solicitation purposes. The exchange or money, tokens or even cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin is prohibited. No prudent person will share their own financial information (PayPal or Amazon for example, etc.) for the purposes of receiving money or goods from other members. Don't, therefore, send your information to anyone who asks. But, importantly, it is wholly inappropriate to try to get other member's financial or other personal information.
This is a dating site for people to meet partners. So, no recruiting our members or users for a hobby or activity or events or other activities. We do not allow messages to be sent for the purpose of inviting our members or users to an external site or to participate in a so-called "business opportunity".
No references to sugar daddy or sugar baby (paid) dating are allowed. Also, you may not ask for gifts to date, even if they are via subtle messages such as wanting to be "$poiled". And definitely no solicitations such as "Send me $10 and see what..." can be written on your profile.
This is all considered solicitation of money and/or goods and is not allowed.Anyone we find doing such solicitation will be banned from our site.
False or fake Accounts
MyTransgenderCupid does not allow any fake accounts. We are very stringent on this point. The profile you write and the photographs you post must be you and only you! The purpose is to find a person to date, not deceive anybody. All or any fake account(s) we find or which are reported to us will lead to your main account as well as the fake account(s) being banned.
It is important that all of the information used on your profile is accurate. This includes basics such as your age, height, weight, other personal details and your location. The reason is simple. Our searches and matches produced are based on details such as age, location, gender, and sexual orientation. It helps us more accurately help you find one of our members or users who is looking for someone just like you!
Falsifying or changing such information so that you can appear in other search results is not permitted. If you do this, you may find that your profile has been banned.
Text and names of profiles
Don't forget, the name and display text you add to your profile will be the first things any members or users of MyTransgenderCupid see about you. Make such name or information polite and respectful of others. What's the point to pick a sexually offensive name or write a hateful text? If either your profile name or text is considered obscene, offensive or promoting hate we will take action and may ban your profile. This includes any obvious trolling profiles or fake messages.
The name you use for listing should be the name you're commonly called. However, such name can be your first or second name, your initials, or a pet or nickname. We are not asking that it be your full name as onyour birth certificate. We know that some people like to keep their true identity reasonably private but you are in the internet and we do require some civility. Names should not include any obscene or offensive language, and you are not allowed to make a profile which appears to be that of a well-known actor or pop star, for example.
Profiles need to be unique and genuine
There is only one you. So, make sure you create a unique profile for yourself. As we said before, you are trying to attract another member or site user to want to date you, not hate you! Your use of the MyTransgenderCupid website mustbe for genuine relationship-seeking purposes. The site information and membership database is not to be used to assemble a list compatible singles in your area or to seek others to join a club or group or party activity.
Deleting and re-creating your profile name, profile text or other account details to circumvent any Passes or Blocks which another member or users have put on your profile is not permitted. Ignoring this rule may lead to a ban.
Sharing Contact information
You don't really need us to tell you, but it's best be prudent and careful when exchanging contact information. It's easy for scammers or people setting up fake accounts to collect your information for their own purposes. Don't give out your contact or personal information too quickly.
Some unscrupulous people will try to get around a ban which MyTransgenderCupid have imposed upon them so that so they can continue talking with you. Or they might be pretending to be someone else for their own reasons.
Also, it's not wise to give out your phone number out too quickly as you then lose the protection that a dating site can offer you. Sometimes a scammer or fake profile users may apparently disappear as we have banned them. But, sometimes, they will try to reappear using another name. We are very reasonable and give people warnings before we ban them.
However, if we have to, we will take action and ban them for good reasons. But if you are communicating directly having given them your phone number or email address too quickly. You may not know they have been banned! Be careful and exercise prudent caution...
You can report any suspicious behavior concerning phone numbers or email addresses to us and we will investigate. We want all of our members and users to be happy and safe.
Discussion about or the promotion of anything illegal is not allowed on MyTransgenderCupid. Such behavior includes anything which is against the law of your country or international law. Things like illegal sexual acts, drug dealing, fraud or threats of any kind are all included and unacceptable. Furthermore, we do not accept or tolerate any kind of discussion about underage sex, including fantasies about dd and/or lg related matters.
Behaviour when offline
If you become aware of or are subject to any instances of offline abuse you may anonymously immediately report this to us. As appropriate, you should also contact your local police or law enforcement officer. We will co-operate with them as required. We are talking here about issues such as assault, sexual or other harassment, stalking, theft, or anything else illegal or that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Avoid propagating hate
MyTransgenderCupid is a fully inclusive Transgender dating site. We welcome people as our members irrespective of race, ethnicity, age, creed or sexual orientation or gender identity. We strongly believe there is no room for hate on a website where you're looking for someone to date or love.
We strictly forbid any content in profile names, content or message which members or users send which promote or condones violence or hate. We do not allow dehumanization or discrimination against any individuals or groups. Failure to comply with this rule may lead to you being banned from our site. For the avoidance of doubt, such matters include:
- offensive comments or statements, hateful or coded derogatory language, or even general references about being a member of a hate group;
- statements of support towards a hate group or their ideals, whether openly or covertly given;
- displaying symbols of hate groups in photographs or using racist or offensive memes or depictions;
- making unsubstantiated or false reports to MyTransgenderCupid staff about profiles may result in your own profile being banned.
If an account is found to be creating false reports against other members or users, we will ban the profile holder. For example, this may include includes reporting or highlighting Transgender or Non-binary members users for no reason other than their gender or orientation. It also covers fake, false or made up reports of unsuitable behavior.
Our community guidelines cover a number of instances of unacceptable action or behavior where moderation may be required. However, it is not an exhaustive list, and we retain the right to ban any person from using MyTransgenderCupid for any reason we see fit if circumstances so warrant.
We are fully committed to conducting the business of our Transgender dating website in accordance with these community guidelines. Our aim is to ensure that the confidentiality of personal information is protected and maintained, as well as the safety of security of our members and users
Reporting breaches of our community guidelines
You can help us by reporting, on a completely anonymous basis, anything or anyone who does not comply with or breaches our community guidelines.
It's easy to report an offending profile by simply clicking on the three dots icon to bring up a report button. More detailed instructions are here.
Last Edited on 2019-09-30 | {
"date": "2023-06-06T23:42:55Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653183.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606214755-20230607004755-00023.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9416632056236267,
"token_count": 3145,
"url": "https://mytransgendercupid.com/community-guidelines"
} |
Trans and Non-Binary People Continue to Fight for Their Right to Exist in Public Spaces
Kasandra Reddington has been a proud Montanan ever since her family moved to the state when she was 10 years old. She is a graduate of Montana State University Billings with a degree in psychology and now resides in Helena, where she works as a tutor at a public college. She enjoys a lot of things about Montana, but especially the state parks.
Unfortunately, an anti-trans ballot initiative is threatening Kasandra’s ability to work and do the activities she loves, solely because she is transgender.
Kasandra is not alone. Around the country, opponents of LGBTQ equality are targeting transgender and non-binary people in all aspects of their lives. In recent weeks, we’ve seen attacks from the Trump administration impacting transgender people’s ability to attend school, join the military, be free of violence in prison, and obtain health care. These attacks are happening in states, cities, and school districts as well.
Right now, in Montana, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, the ACLU and transgender people are fighting back.
After losing the marriage equality battle — both in the court of law and in the court of public opinion — anti-LGBTQ groups have escalated their attacks on transgender people. These attacks aren’t new, but they have reached a new level of intensity. Many of these efforts have targeted transgender people’s right to access public spaces, particularly restrooms and locker rooms in places such as schools, libraries, parks, and government buildings. By exploiting fear and misunderstanding about transgender people, anti-LGBTQ advocates are trying to spread a false narrative about safety and privacy that endangers the health and well-being of trans people and thwarts progress for the LGBTQ community as a whole.
In Montana, an anti-LGBTQ group drafted a dangerous ballot measure, I-183, which seeks to bar transgender and non-binary people from using public spaces consistent with their gender identity. For Kasandra, the measure represents a serious threat to her personal safety and her livelihood. “[I-183] would attempt to force me into the men’s restroom, where I don’t belong,” she explains. “It puts me at risk for physical assault and loss of my job.” Kasandra decided to join the ACLU in our lawsuit challenging I-183 because she was inspired by transgender activists and public figures who came before her to help make things better for the next generation.
The impact of I-183 would be sweeping, preventing localities from passing or enforcing nondiscrimination ordinances and forcing trans people out of public places like schools, jobs, parks, courts, and libraries. “[I-183] doesn’t make it any more illegal to assault someone in a public restroom,” Kasandra explains. “All it does is assault the freedom of trans people. It is making the public less safe for people to enjoy.”
Montana is not the only place where the right of transgender and non-binary people to exist in public spaces is under threat. In Oregon and Pennsylvania, anti-LGBTQ organizations are targeting schools that have implemented policies to protect LGBTQ students from discrimination and harassment. These groups are trying to convince the courts and the public that the mere presence of transgender and non-binary people in public restrooms and locker rooms violates their privacy, despite the fact that these arguments have been rejected and debunked time and time again.
In both Oregon and Pennsylvania, the ACLU is working alongside local LGBTQ organizations to counter these unfounded arguments in court. In Pennsylvania, the lower court already found that schools have an obligation to treat transgender students equally under the law, including when accessing common restrooms and locker rooms — an important precedent for transgender students around the country. Now, we’re fighting the same battle in Oregon and defending the victory in Pennsylvania.
No matter what form these attacks take, our response is the same. We will represent transgender and non-binary people facing discrimination and intervene when anti-LGBTQ groups target districts and localities for doing the right thing. We will also continue to confront myths about safety and privacy, as we did in Anchorage, with trans people leading the way.
Our opposition wants to legalize discrimination. We will keep working until transgender and non-binary people in all 50 states have the freedom to live their lives freely and equally. | {
"date": "2023-06-02T03:15:41Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648245.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602003804-20230602033804-00023.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9604954123497009,
"token_count": 905,
"url": "https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trans-and-non-binary-people-continue-fight-their-right-exist"
} |
OK. I will admit it, sometimes I am a “lurker” on Facebook. You know, one of those people who observes friends’ feeds but does not participate in or comment on their posts. You have to love people like me!
Recently, in my role as lurker I have observed a number of debates on the general topic of “Are you trans enough…” Often, they result in spirited debates around “are crossdressers really trans”; “is genderqueer really a thing” or “trans people who are stealth are the problem not the solution.”
I am always amazed at how – as members of a frequently oppressed minority - some trans people are more than willing to be exclusionary.
In my personal case, it took me years to come to the conclusion that I was really transgender. At first I thought I was broken, then a deviant, then that I had a sexual fetish. At one point, I thought I might be gay or a drag queen. I have used the terms “transvestite,” “crossdresser,” “gender-fluid,” “FtM,” and “trans-woman” to describe myself.
The Intimidation Factor
This type of searching for a way to describe our identities is not unusual for trans folk. Plenty of trans people – including members of our Lehigh Valley Transgender Support Group – have described similar experiences. As they journey along their paths to reconciling their feelings about being transgender many trans people struggle with both personal acceptance and whether they belong to “the club.”
I remember my first experience visiting a transgender support group many years ago. I was welcomed to the room by a trans woman who asked if I was ready to transition. I told her that I was unsure and was there to simply meet people like me and to learn. She then proceeded to lecture me for thirty minutes on “how to be transgender.” The result is that I never returned to that group and went back in the closet for many years... Becoming a lurker again.
The recent debates I saw on Facebook – as people weighed-in on one side or the other made me think of that experience and how excluded and intimidated it made me feel.
Am I Really Transgender?
First – There is no hard and fast rule around “what is trans”- Trans people come in all shapes, sizes, types and expressions. Some live part-time as women or men. Some express themselves androgynously. Some choose medical options like HRT or surgery – others do not. Some initially see themselves as crossdressers and later realize they need to transition – others are able to cope with a partial solution. The bottom line is that only you can decide how you should identify.
Second – There is no “misery test.” The media – and many trans people – like to focus on the narrative that trans people are miserable, suicidal and prone to depression. While that is the case for some trans folk, many (maybe even most) trans people function quite well. There is no requirement around having to have the symptoms gender dysphoria or depression in order to be transgender.
Third – There is no checklist and there is no timeline. Do you like being a girly-girl? Are you butch? Or maybe you are more androgynous. Do you want to go stealth or be open? Do you want HRT or not? Do you want to move quickly or take things step-by-step over a period of years. You get to decide these things and no one else.
Fourth – If you are asking yourself the question "Am I Trans?" you probably are. Just remember that you get to decide where you fit on the gender-spectrum and it is a BIG spectrum. Explore what being trans might mean for you and enlist the help of a trained professional and or a transgender support group as you do so.
More Thoughts On Being Transgender
In a recent Huffington Post article, Mia Violet gave a great list of things she felt trans people should know. It is something that has inspired me on my journey so I thought I would share an abbreviated version of it with you:
You can transition without “needing” to - Transition doesn’t have to be a desperate last resort. You can transition simply because you want to.
Identity is fluid - You can try different labels for your gender. You don’t have to denounce your gender and take up another one immediately. It is OK to experiment.
Gender isn’t binary – History is replete with cultures that honor non-binary people. Being non-binary doesn’t make you any more or less trans.
There is no transition pathway – Transition does follow a straight line starting with a therapist, going through HRT and ending in genital surgery. Transition is your own unique journey.
You know more about your gender than anyone else - This includes family, doctors, friends, strangers and other trans people. You are the ultimate authority on your gender identity.
Clothes only mean what you want them to mean - Gender is in your head, not in your clothes. Dress in a manner that is comfortable for you.
It’s not selfish to come out as transgender – Many trans people worry that they’re being selfish by exploring their gender identity. That is untrue. You will be a better friend and family member by recognizing your true self.
It’s okay to disagree with other trans people - As long as what you’re saying is respectful, healthy debate is a good thing. Just don’t be a jerk about it.
Where Should Trans Inclusion Start?
Finally, I will add my own thought to the list. And that is that “We are stronger together.” Instead of debating whether someone should be let into the circle, why not make the circle bigger? Trans people want to be accepted by society as a whole. So shouldn’t we do the same in our community? Shouldn't we start with ourselves?
Corinne is the webmaster of Lehigh Valley Transgender Renaissance
More About Lehigh Valley Transgender Renaissance
The leading organization for transgender support and education in Eastern PA and Western NJ, our focus is on helping transgender individuals as they work through their journey to become their authentic selves while helping the community at large learn more about what it means to be transgender.
Would you like to learn more about our support group for Lehigh Valley transgender people? If so, please contact Lehigh Valley Renaissance or better yet join us at one of our monthly meetings!
Note: The opinions in this article are those of the author and not necessarily that of Lehigh Valley Renaissance or the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center. | {
"date": "2020-04-05T05:47:59Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370529375.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20200405053120-20200405083120-00024.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9628033638000488,
"token_count": 1418,
"url": "https://www.renaissancelv.org/post/2017/04/19/are-you-trans-enough"
} |
Graduate assistant and PhD student
Phone +49 3834 420 3355
|2012||Abitur (roughly equivalent to A-levels) at Goethe-Gymnasium Stralsund|
|2012-2019||Studies of English and German to become a teacher (Lehramt Gymnasium) at the University of Greifswald (1st State Examination)|
|2014||Exchange semester at the University of Aberdeen|
|2016||Exchange semester at Lancaster University|
|since 2019||Graduate assistant (Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft) in English linguistics and PhD student|
Fields of work:
- Research interests: Sociolinguistics, media discourse analysis, digital ethnography, gender and sexuality studies
- I am a research assistant for students preparing for their oral project presentations (teacher training: Linguistics II+III; BA Linguistics II; MA Sprachliche Vielfalt: Angl 1+2). Please send me an email if you need any assistance with your projects! I will be happy to answer questions and support you with your research.
- PhD dissertation project: Online Identity Construction of Trans Beauty Vloggers – a Multimodal Linguistic Analysis of Queer Discourse on YouTube (supervisor: Prof. Dr. Theresa Heyd).
- My research focus lies on queer discourses produced by trans beauty influencers on YouTube. The platform has gained notable relevance not only for a multi-million dollar beauty industry which signs influencers, but also in its original intention to offer people a medium for expressing ideas. I attempt to investigate how individual and collective (gender) identities are indexed with a specific focus on the significance this has for language negotiations and interactions among the community. My thesis combines digital ethnography and multimodal discourse analysis to explore affordances of audiovisual communication and linguistic resources vloggers draw upon. The aim of my research is to develop better understandings of a gender-variant community. Following current debates on gender inclusivity, the topic seems all the more meaningful for sociolinguistic studies.
- Online Identity Construction of Trans* Beauty Vloggers – a Multimodal Linguistic Analysis of Queer Discourse on YouTube. Gender im Fokus, Forschungskolloquium, Greifswald. November 2019
- YouTube and Ethics. BAAL Language and New Media, Edinburgh. März 2020
- Indexing Gender on YouTube: a multimodal analysis of stance-taking by NikkiTutorials. The 2nd International Conference on Internet Pragmatics, Helsinki. October 2020
- "I believe in the power of transformation": coming-out stories of non-binary identities in beauty vlogs on YouTube. 7th Young Linguists' Meeting. Rethinking language and identity in the multilingual world, Poznań. April 2021
- Sustainable periods and "not voting for the Tories": multi-authored stance-taking in YouTube period product reviews. (Presentation with Dr. Susan Reichelt). IPrA, Winterthur. June 2021 | {
"date": "2023-05-31T21:47:14Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647459.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20230531214247-20230601004247-00428.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8067794442176819,
"token_count": 705,
"url": "https://ifaa.uni-greifswald.de/en/english-linguistics/knospe10/"
} |
Club Bahia Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California.
I Am Wants Sexy Chat
For Reservations: Dress code enforced. Not Permitted t-shirts sandals Tranad or short pants hats sleeveless shirts Sports Attire oversized or baggy clothing You will be asked to pull your pants up. Detailed list is at entrance. Entertaining Los Angeles since ! Join us every for all our special events! Live Latin entertainment every Friday and Saturday. November 5th.
Tranas latin night clubs
Monday October 28 Tickets: www. December 3rd, Event just added. Information coming soon. Click. Club Bahia is available for special events, private parties, filming location and parking. Call or email: michael bahianightclub. Los Angeles, California For Reservations: e-mail: info bahianightclub. With my homie tuffy. He's known for singing about 'ladies in the club.
Dress code enforced.
Tranas in latin
Here you Hot Sweeden beauties Tv Anne Vastervik escort free spa-access, massagesplay tennis or just enjoy the clube nature. The hot herbal compress contains numerous herbs lightly bound in fabric Ladies pleasure night Kungalv is steamed until warm and firmly rolled. But Tranas in latin people in three countries this week still have dlubs to celebrate, with measures being approved or going into effect that will help them be legally recognized as the gender with which they identify.
Reason optional: egotic Sex Sweeden Poto.
Tomorrow Never Dies. Sections of this page. Infini Bachata Social Club. Adults Only All Inclusive Resort. ❶Deep Tissue Massage.
Tranas erotic resort
Sign in using you account with: Friday, a jury found Anderson guilty of manslaughter Safe sex place in Sweeden possession of a firearm by a Tranad felon. More Latin clubs in Tranas stories Skilled, entertaining, rewarding.
Cluhs by Weather Underground. Completed inpedestrian Charles Bridge is lined with Free sex Ljungby of Catholic saints.
Email or Phone Password Forgot account? In the past, Remezcla has highlighted a katin array of queer and trans Latinx artists making inroads in diverse musical Chinatown Sweeden massage around the globe, but this year we are specifically spotlighting transgender and non-binary performers pushing the boundaries of sound and visibility.
I Am Looking Sexy Dating Latin clubs in Tranas
Thai Massage Tranas Dresbach is prostitution, parolees, and trana sients. Let's have fun and lay in today. The breakfast is absolutely superb! Jump to.|Compare cis- Romanian girls are easy in Sweeden 2.
Nearby words trans femaletrans maletrans mantrans persontrans womantrans-trans-alaska pipelinetrans-fattrans-fatty acidtrans-jordantrans-jordanian. Across; on the other side; beyond: Change; Freelance prostitute Haninge. Latin clubs in Tranas words trans Qi qi massage Linkoping maletrans mantrans persontrans womantrans-trans-alaska pipelinetrans-fattrans-fatty acidtrans-jordantrans-jordanian.
To have a clearer idea, the first LGBT march against homophobia and transphobia in Mexico Latin clubs in Tranas place inand the organization of efforts to protect and recognize gender identity in this country Trannas grown exponentially. A vibrant wave of trans artists is emerging out of the Mexican underground and Tranas in latin Almaguer Latni leading the charge with a unique blend of folk vocals and ghostly, immersive Gay Lulea forum.
Latin search results for: Clipping of transexual. Bolivia-born, Virginia-based producer Elysia Crampton has been making beautiful, challenging music since the beginning of the millennium. Like what you're reading? Across; on the other side; Tall woman with short man in Sweeden Others Are Reading.
All rights reserved. She released her cathartic first EP Miljillo inchanneling the frustrations and disappointments she experienced during the early stages of her transition, facing romantic heartbreak and family rejection.]The fgee is The holiday home Tv Tranas free Latih bedrooms, a TV and a fully Kids cubby houses Jonkoping · Japanese escort girls Sollentuna latin night clubs · Married and looking in.
With bars that flow as freely as their gender expression, La Pajarita La Paul has emerged as Tranas in latin refreshing new force in the Dominican dembow. Club Bahia. Entertaining Los special events!
Latin clubs in Nykoping
Live Latin entertainment every Friday and Saturday. with DJ Slick. Saturday: Dancing, Grupo Bamba & DJ Slick. | {
"date": "2020-04-04T12:46:50Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370521876.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20200404103932-20200404133932-00398.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8666667342185974,
"token_count": 1009,
"url": "https://www.bagabondinc.com/latin-clubs-in-tranas.html"
} |
INCLUSION & SAFER
FOR IN-PERSON GROUPS AND SESSIONS
Our spaces are for all self-identifying LGBTQ+ individuals wishing to access a space to connect, reflect and/or learn. This is inclusive of trans, non-binary and gender fluid people, people of colour as well as older and disabled members of our community, to come together and celebrate.
In order to enable this, there are a few ground rules to ensure that everyone feels as welcome and comfortable as possible at all times.
If you feel unsafe at any point, or witness any problematic behaviour, please let the host know. Anyone found to be deliberately disregarding these ground rules will be asked to leave if necessary.
We must agree that no one records or takes pictures of the sessions as this is a serious infringement of our confidentiality and GDPR policies. Group photos can only be taken with explicit consent from everyone who appears in the shot - including in the background.
Participants must be 18 years or older, unless attending events specified otherwise, (for example, the majority of our workshops are open to ages 16 and above).
Identity specific spaces - Many of the groups hosted by Sexual Health cater to specific identities and lived experiences. Each group clearly indicates in their advertising who that space is designed for. We expect our audiences to respect the need for safe spaces that cater to the needs of minorities and those with intersectional identities.
A pronoun is how you refer to someone, for example using she or they. Please ask people what their pronouns are if you are meeting them for the first time. Use their correct pronouns, even if the words are unfamiliar to you. If you make a mistake and refer to someone with the wrong pronoun, apologise and move on.
Don’t make assumptions about someone’s identity and think about the ways that people from minority groups may be impacted in different ways by the issues you discuss. Be aware that your experiences of sex, sexuality and gender are not necessarily the same as everybody else in the room. Be aware of any position and privileges you may bring regarding for example your race, your class, your gender identity, your ability or your age. Try not to make generalising statements such as 'All lesbians hate X' - using ‘I’ or ‘me’ wherever possible, rather than ‘you’ or ‘we’.
Racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, ableism, fatphobia, ageism or discrimination on basis of ethnicity, immigration status, or religious, cultural, and/or spiritual beliefs, or any other kind of oppressive behaviour is unacceptable and will be challenged. Please do not use slurs that are not yours to use. For example, if you are white do not use racial slurs, even if you are being critical of them. Please give a choice for people to interact without having to talk if they don’t want to, If they are neurodivergent, do not tell people off if they want to talk or move when everybody else is sitting quietly and give space to people to go at their own pace.
Sexual Harassment and Physical Boundaries
There is a zero tolerance policy to sexual harassment. This means no unwanted messaging, sharing of images or unsolicited contact with someone during or after a group has ended. This also means no inappropriate sexual comments or sexually based jokes, songs or taunts.
Check in around physical boundaries. Some people are practicing social distancing, others need more personal space. Do not assume that touch or hugging will be welcome, make sure to check in about how others feel, first.
Try to use clear, uncomplicated language and to avoid any acronyms and in-jokes. If you mention a theory or person, please give a brief description of who they are, no matter how well known you believe they are.
Give people a heads up if you are going to discuss something that others might find upsetting. Sometimes upsetting things happen and we need to be able talk about how we deal with them as a community. It’s important to have a space where we feel able to do this, and we hope that this event will provide that. However, not everyone is able to talk about everything all the time, so let people know if you are going to talk about something potentially upsetting, such as mental illness or domestic abuse. During breaks and other less formal settings, you can also do this informally by asking ‘is it okay if I talk about X thing?’
Space to Speak
Please be aware that it is difficult for those belonging to marginalised groups or minority groups to participate in discussions both online and in person. Do not talk over people and try to gauge whether it is appropriate for you to speak on certain topics. Try to give less confident and quieter people a chance to speak.
Privacy and Confidentiality
We will ask everybody to respect the fact that not everybody is “out” everywhere outside of this space so if you use social media, please do not share any contact information or identifiable information of other people without their explicit consent.
Everything in this safer spaces agreement also extends to social media, including Twitter and Facebook, so keep that in mind when using social media today. | {
"date": "2023-05-28T00:45:05Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643388.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230527223515-20230528013515-00641.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9496034979820251,
"token_count": 1116,
"url": "https://lgbt.foundation/sexualhealth/spacesguide"
} |
YouTuber Miles McKenna has shared some cool news: Following a video in January when the YouTuber revealed that they are gender non-binary and now known as Miles, the YouTuber has made some changes to reflect these developments. They revealed on Twitter that they have begun the formal legal process to change their name and they shared some awesome YouTube news too:
It is indeed true: if you hit up that URL, you will indeed be taken to Miles’ channel. We’re really happy that the YouTube platform is flexible enough accommodate Miles’ development as a person, and that their channel now properly reflects who they really are! You can check out Miles “SO I’M TRANS” video, in which they revealed their life situation, right here:
This isn’t the only exciting news Miles has had in 2017, they also recently announced that they are getting their very own TV show. The show will apparently be ‘hella gay’ and you can find out everything we know about it thus far by clicking here. | {
"date": "2017-03-29T09:23:34Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2017-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218190236.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212950-00107-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9753163456916809,
"token_count": 217,
"url": "http://www.wetheunicorns.com/news/miles-mckenna-amanda-name-change/"
} |
Acceptable Use Policy
This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) specifies the actions prohibited to users of SAI’s network and systems and is intended to enhance the use of the Internet by preventing unacceptable use. SAI’s users are required to adhere to all the policies specified in this AUP without exception.
Laws and Regulations
SAI’s infrastructure may be used only for lawful purposes. Users may not violate any applicable laws or regulations of South Africa within the territory of South Africa. Should the user reside outside of South Africa, the laws of the country in which the user resides shall apply.
Transmission, distribution or storage of any material on or through the infrastructure in violation of any applicable law or regulation is prohibited. This includes, without limitation, material protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property right used without proper authorisation, and material that is obscene, defamatory, constitutes an illegal threat, or violates export control laws.
The user acknowledges that SAI is unable to exercise control over the content of the information passing over the infrastructure and the Internet, including any websites, electronic mail transmissions, news groups or other material created or accessible over its infrastructure. Therefore, SAI is not responsible for the content of any messages or other information transmitted over its infrastructure.
SAI’s infrastructure may be used to link into other networks worldwide and the user agrees to conform to the acceptable use policies of these networks.
The user may obtain and download any materials marked as available for download off the Internet but is not permitted to use its Internet access to distribute any copyrighted materials unless permission for such distribution is granted to the user by the owner of the materials.
The user is prohibited from obtaining and/or disseminating on-line any unlawful materials, including but not limited to stolen intellectual property, child pornography, and/or any unlawful hate-speech materials.
System and Network Security
All references to systems and networks under this section includes the Internet (and all those systems and/or networks to which user is granted access through SAI) and includes but is not limited to the infrastructure of SAI itself.
The user may not circumvent user authentication or security of any host, network, or account (referred to as “cracking” or “hacking”), nor interfere with service to any user, host, or network (referred to as “denial of service attacks”).
Violations of system or network security by the user are prohibited, and may result in civil or criminal liability. SAI will investigate incidents involving such violations and will involve and will co-operate with law enforcement officials if a criminal violation is suspected.
Examples of system or network security violations include, without limitation, the following:
- Unauthorised access to or use of data, systems or networks, including any attempt to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of any system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without the express authorisation of SAI.
- Unauthorised monitoring of data or traffic on the network or systems without express authorisation of SAI.
- Interference with service to any user, host or network including, without limitation, mailbombing, flooding, deliberate attempts to overload a system and broadcast attacks.
- Forging of any TCP-IP packet header (spoofing) or any part of the header information in an email or a newsgroup posting.
It is explicitly prohibited to send unsolicited bulk e-mail messages (“junk mail” or “spam”) of any kind (commercial advertising, political tracts, announcements, etc). This is strongly objected to by most Internet users and the repercussions against the offending party and SAI can often result in disruption of service to other users connected to SAI.
Maintaining of mailing lists by users of SAI is accepted only with the permission and approval of the list members, and at the members’ sole discretion. Should mailing lists contain invalid or undeliverable addresses or addresses of unwilling recipients those addresses must be promptly removed.
Users may not forward or propagate chain letters nor malicious e-mail.
Public relay occurs when a mail server is accessed by a third party from another domain and utilised to deliver mails, without the authority or consent of the owner of the mail-server. Users’ mail servers must be secure against public relay as a protection to both themselves and the Internet at large. Mail servers that are unsecured against public relay often become abused by unscrupulous operators for spam delivery and upon detection such delivery must be disallowed.
SAI reserves the right to examine users’ mail servers to confirm that no mails are being sent from the mail server through public relay and the results of such checks can be made available to the user. SAI also reserves the right to examine the mail servers of any users using SAI mail servers for “smarthosting” (when the user relays its mail off an SAI mail server to a mail server of its own) or similar services at any time to ensure that the servers are properly secured against public relay. All relay checks will be done in strict accordance with SAI’s policy of preserving customer privacy.
UseNet News /Newsgroup News
Users should, before using the service, familiarise themselves with the contents of the
- news, newusers.questions, news.announce.newusers, news.answers
- Excessive cross-posting (ie, posting the same article to a large numbers of newsgroups) is forbidden.
- Posting of irrelevant (off-topic) material to newsgroups (also known as USENET spam) is forbidden.
- Posting binaries to a non-binary newsgroup is forbidden.
- IS reserves the right to delete and/or cancel posts which violate the above conditions.
Upon receipt of a complaint, or having become aware of an incident, SAI reserves the right to:
- Inform the user’s network administrator of the incident and require the network administrator or network owner to deal with the incident according to this AUP.
- In the case of individual users suspend the user’s account and withdraw the user’s network access privileges completely.
- Charge the offending parties for administrative costs as well as for machine and human time lost due to the incident.
- In severe cases suspend access of the user’s entire network until abuse can be prevented by appropriate means.
- Share information concerning the incident with other Internet access providers, or publish the information, and/or make available the users’ details to law enforcement agencies.
- Any one or more of the steps listed above, insofar as they are deemed necessary by SAI in its absolute and sole discretion, may be taken by SAI against the offending party.
All cases of violation of the above Acceptable Use Policy should be reported | {
"date": "2017-03-30T14:32:51Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2017-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218194601.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212954-00176-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9098851680755615,
"token_count": 1435,
"url": "http://www.sai.co.za/aup/"
} |
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is out now and has taken the world by storm. With so many people home and trying to practice social distancing, it is the perfect game to get lost in. In the game, you move to a deserted island and work with the resources around you to build it into a thriving community. And while Tom Nook can be a great help, or burden depending on who you ask, you aren’t completely alone in this endeavor.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons you have the option to not only visit random mystery islands but the islands of your friends. With your friend’s permission, you can set to the skies and embark on an adventure exploring their humble abode. However, as lovely as it is to hang out and run around it is more fun to cause mayhem. Needless to say, here are the five most chaotic things to do at your friends’ islands. Beware, if you do these, they might never invite you back.
Chop Down All Their Trees
Animal Crossing: New Horizons features a plethora of fauna but most notably, the island is covered in trees. Trees are a necessary resource and provide everything from different types of wood to fruit. It is impossible to continue building without using their resources. That means one of the most effective ways to cause destruction is to cut down every tree you can. If you become “best friends” with a player, you are able to use your axe on the island. From there, get to chopping. If this feels too harsh, don’t worry because trees can be regrown, though it is a hassle.
Leave Ridiculous Notes
While visiting someone, you have the option to stop by their island bulletin board and create a post. While you can only create two posts per visit, you can easily make them count. With the option to both draw and hand-drawn something, the possibilities are endless. Personally, I like to leave a note that reminds my friends of the disarray I have left their island in. Additionally, once home you can send friends a note for 200 bells. This is another perfect way to remind your friends about the chaos you caused long after you are gone.
Chase Them Around Non-stop With Your Axe
While characters can’t do damage, there is still something terrifying about an adorable dead-eyed girl, boy, or non-binary individual chasing you around with an axe. So run full speed holding an axe at your friends as they go about their daily lives on their island. I guarantee they will at least be disturbed if not outright annoyed.
This final suggestion might be one, if not, the worst. While on your friends’ island, after becoming their best friend, you can take our your shovel. From there, just start digging. Holes can be repaired but it does take a considerable amount of time. Luckily for you, it is faster to dig holes than repair them which means if you can avoid your friend and roam around they could be completely oblivious as you destroy their land.
Are you playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and if so, what are you doing while visiting your friends’ islands? What chaotic things are you doing? Let know over on Twitter. | {
"date": "2023-06-04T14:11:53Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649986.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604125132-20230604155132-00704.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.951191246509552,
"token_count": 668,
"url": "https://butwhytho.net/2020/03/4-chaotic-things-to-do-to-your-friends-in-animal-crossing-new-horizons/"
} |
Articles & Blogs & Blogger Sites
by or about
Trans, Non-Binary & Gender Expansive Individuals
As a transgender woman, I do not want to be accepted… I just want to be.
By Kathryn Foss. Jan 2021
Coming out as trans in Alberta: ‘It’s hard at first… I was always hyper vigilant’
By Emily Mertz. Global News, posted June 24, 2021. (Alberta)
Cindy Rivers' story of her transitioning in Alberta. "Rivers came out at the age of 30 in northern Alberta. She hopes progress continues — when it comes to social acceptance, understanding and medical supports."
Darker shades of pink: Having depression when you’re transgender
By Zinnia Jones Mar 2014
Essential tips for parents of transgender children
Your child came out as trans? Here's your playbook
By Cassie Brighter. My Trans Child. Parenting Trans Kids. Jul 15, 2021.
Advice from a (transgender) mom.
‘It’s how I feel. It’s not how you feel’: Four teens explain why they reject the gender binary
“The first time someone used my pronouns, I almost cried”
By Adrienne Matei. Illustrations by Agata Nowicka. June 2020. (US)
“A growing number of US kids are rejecting traditional gender identities in favor of being non-binary, but many feel misunderstood and face prejudice.”
By Cassie Brighter. My Trans Child - Transgender Teens. Jul 17, 2021.
"Remember, you’re in charge of what happens next."
Advice from a (transgender) mom to transgender teens.
So, your child came out as trans. (Where do you start?)
By Evey Winters. Evey Winters blog post. (US)
"Before we begin, I want to thank you. If you’re here, you’re trying. I say it often that the parents of transgender children that I get to meet in my work are my favorite people. Because you’re seeking. Because you are learning. I doubt you were prepared for the moment your child came out to you as trans, or hinted that they might be. That’s not something that shows up in parenting books or conversations with your mom."
“That was dysphoria?” 8 signs and symptoms of indirect gender dysphoria
by Zinnia Jones. Sep 2013
What’s in a name?
By Clio Hartzer. Being’ Enby blog. Nov 2020.
“There is little risk in using the names our parents have given us. We do not claim any personal ownership in those names. But when we choose our own names, we have more personal investment in them. Our parents name our bodies. We name our souls.“
Yes, I have a ‘mental disorder.’ But it’s not being transgender.
By Sam Dylan Finch of “Let’s Queer Things Up! Blog. 2018
WEB SERIES & BLOGGER SITES
Everyday Anomaly Coaching & Mentorship: Empowering the transgender community
By Dean Rasmussen. Coach and blogger. Grande Prairie.
Dean offers coaching, weekly virtual support groups, blogs and podcasts.
“As a trans person and parent of trans kids, I have a unique and valuable perspective to offer you and your family. I believe that life should be intentional, successful and celebrated!
Everyday Anomaly Coaching and Mentorship grew out of my desire to empower the transgender community and their families. Over the past 4 years I have met a disproportionate number of transgender folks who struggle with loving and accepting themselves. I’ve met numerous parents who want their kids to have the best possible life but aren’t sure how to empower their transgender children. I believe that being transgender is a gift. I believe that the world will have no option but to celebrate transgender and non binary individuals when we are empowered to show up as our truest selves proudly and unapologetically.”
By Zinnia Jones. Gender Analysis web series. (US)
Not labelled as a blog, but articles are mostly written by Zinnia.
“I’m Zinnia Jones, a trans woman activist and writer on YouTube. I've been transitioning for the past eight years, which has required me to learn a lot about a variety of transgender-related subjects. In that time, I've found that most mainstream coverage of trans topics is largely inadequate – presenting only shallow oversimplifications, produced by cis (non-trans) people, for cis people. I think we can do better, and that’s the aim of Gender Analysis.”
Click HERE for Facebook page.
Let’s queer things up!
By Sam Dylan Finch. Blog. (US)
“Hi there! My name is Sam Dylan Finch. I’m a 29-year-old writer and wellness coach, living in Portland, Oregon. He or they pronouns are fine by me! I started Let’s Queer Things Up! seven years ago, hoping to empower LGBTQ+ people to take command of their mental health. LQTU is equal parts advice blog and personal journey….”
Purple and Green and the Life in Between (blog)
By Meaghan Ray. Blog. They also have a Let's Talk Gender Podcast series. (Alberta)
“... a blog about being gender queer/non-binary, having a partner who transitions, and musings about the gendered aspects of society.”
Raising fabulous: A dad’s journey with his transgender daughter
“I’m the father of a gender fluid son, and my goal isn’t to necessarily educate or sensationalize what myself, my son, or my family is going through. The purpose of this blog is for me to work through the thoughts that seem to be rampaging through my head on any given day as I deal with our new normal. If, you stumble across this and it gives you some peace of mind to know that you’re not the only one, or that the thoughts and feelings you have are completely normal then that’s great. If not, then that’s alright as well, because I’m doing this for my piece of mind for as long as I need to, and perhaps when my son (or daughter) is older he (or she) might find it interesting to read, or not.”
Transgender teen survival guide
“We are a blog created for people of all ages who have questions concerning their gender identity.”
A blog by a trans teenager in the US.
Various topics: "Confused? Start here / On allyship / Combat transphobia / Misconceptions debunked / Glossary of terms" / … other resources too. | {
"date": "2023-05-30T18:39:53Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646076.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530163210-20230530193210-00706.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9204625487327576,
"token_count": 1551,
"url": "https://www.transparentalberta101.com/articles-blogs-trans-non-binary"
} |
YA/NA Urban Fantasy
Published Oct. 1, 2018 by NineStar Press
Erin has just realized that for the entirety of their life, their family has lied to them. Their Sight has been masked for years, so Erin thought the Pixies and Mermaids were hallucinations. Not only are the supernatural creatures they see daily real, but their grandmother is an Elf, meaning Erin isn’t fully human. On top of that, the dreams Erin thought were nightmares are actually prophecies.
While dealing with the anger they have over all of the lies, they are getting used to their new boyfriend, their boyfriend’s bullying ex, and the fact that they come from a family of Demon Hunters. As Erin struggles through everything weighing on them, they uncover a Demon plot to take over the world.
Erin just wants some time to work through it all on their own terms, but that’s going to have to wait until after they help save the world.
If you want information of Power Surge’s Trigger Warnings, check out this post.
Buy Power Surge on:
Life Minus Me
New Adult Contemporary Fantasy
Buy Links: Amazon * Smashwords * Barnes and Noble * Ninstar Press
Mel is half-Angel, but despite her ability to heal and read minds, she feels powerless to help anyone. When a prophecy shows a local pet supply store owner driving their car off a bridge, Mel sets out to stop it.
Baily, owner of Barks and Bits, is barely holding it together. Things keep going wrong, and their depression spirals out of control. Just as they start wondering if they’d be better off dead, a new friend provides a glimmer of hope. But is that enough to keep living?
Mel never thought saving Baily would be easy, but she can’t figure out when, where, or why Baily’s suicide will happen. As her confidence fades away, she wonders how she can help anyone when she needs so much help herself.
Evanstar Chronicles 2
(cover art, title, and blurb coming soon)
Coming January 2021
(cover art coming soon)
When non-binary seventeen-year-old Seren becomes an ambassador, they’re forced to face their greatest fear: magic. By drawing power from rivers and lakes, Seren is left vulnerable to being controlled by the Mother Earth. Seren is desperate to avoid using magic, but a faction of fascist will do anything to start a war between mages and scientist, including killing Seren, the one mage who sees the value of science.
Outnumbered and outgunned, Seren must use magic to live long enough to reach the negotiations. As they struggle to survive assassination attempts, the sentient planet gets in Seren’s head and uses Seren to give humanity a warning: maintain peace or face extinction.
Shutting out Mother Earth could be the end of all humans. Letting Her in would mean becoming Mother Earth’s puppet, killing anyone opposed to Her. Seren must negotiate peace between mages and scientists, before Mother Earth drowns them all. | {
"date": "2020-03-30T13:45:35Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370497042.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20200330120036-20200330150036-00187.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9560474753379822,
"token_count": 648,
"url": "https://saracodair.com/novels/"
} |
believe I have information that may crack open Detective Shittys Case of the Pizza Underground.
Its not a website where they all eat pizza, its Macauley Culkins Velvet Underground cover band. They change all the lyrics, to pizza lyrics. Ryan obviously doesn’t recognize comedy genius when he sees it or he would not have forgotten songs like “Take a bite of the wild slice”. The pizza eating video on the website was a parody of Andy Warhols hamburger eating art film, which was garbage like everything Warhol did.The Warhol video was part of how he’s always blowing everyones minds by making mundane things art, but at least when he did it there was some underlying layer of meaning surrounding the wasting of film on total garbage. You can’t waste digital video so its a bit of a dead meme. I think Warhols real art was in wasting everyones time and getting paid for it.
Have you guys played Amish Sex pistols on the show yet?
Imma be honest; this one is ancient Chinese medicine. But like all good ancient Chinese medicines, this one will actually make you CRY hard.
No time stamp needed.
Keep up the great shows! I like you more than uh you know the thing!
PS: Also Ryan needs a gender affirming haircut; or else he’s going to start looking like a trans-man from Tiktok . You can’t allow this to happen. Poor thing is bolologically gay, had a hairdresser for a dad and is employed by the one of the best groomed men in New York city and still manages to look like a 16 year old non-binary weeaboo.
I was married to a woman who one day decided that she wanted to be a cop. I worked extra hours, sacrificed school, and cut expenses in order for her to not work so that she could “train” for months to prepare for the academy. She was no doubt an affirmative action hire, because she was 21 with no experience or education, while all the other cadets were male, and typically transferring from different departments and a wide variety of experience.
She always felt like she had something to prove and got very defensive about anything regarding her gender and new career choice. Always had to be tough enough and on par with all the men, which turned into her beginning to look down on me, and being so tough and independent that I just became an obstacle in the way of her glory as a cop.
On her academy graduation day, she told me she was done, didn’t want kids, and never believed in the religious aspects of our marriage, and just wanted to focus on her new life as a super badass cop.
So divorce sucks, it does destroy men, and everything you say about women cops is true.
Fuck Gavins Millionaire Fucking BS Attitude
This little fucking asshole needs his ass handed to him because the way he thinks he can talk to anyone he wants to. Fuck him….pussy ass motherfucker needs to give his company to someone whose actually wants to continue the fight against the left and the anti-Christian. He sure in hell ain’t doing it anymore.
You may be aware of this guy but ive never heard you speak about him and he seems to be right up your street.
No time code just anywhere. If it is ancient chinese secret i apologise to absolutely no one.
All the best
this video somehow popped up in my Instagram feed and I can’t stop thinking about how meaningless Christianity would be, if Jesus looked like the guy at the 02:08 min mark.
PLEASE START THE VID AT 01:52
In this video, the buzzfeed-ish YouTube channel “cut” asks men of different ages what it means to “be a man”
If you start at 01:52, the dude at 02:08 really kind of jumps out of the screen.Have you ever seen a head shape like this?Isn’t he embarrassed?
Why do humans look like this?
Anyway, greetings from Germany.
Mir gefällt deine neue Sonnenbrille.
I remember Gavin saying something like, “It is a good idea to change your mind on something big each year.” After painstakingly watching the entire trial because of a long commute, I’ve changed my mind. Every officer testified that having Floyd on his stomach, handcuffed, was a dangerous position. They are trained to put a suspect into the recovery position after initial restraint. You can hear the officer, who is on Floyd’s back, ask Chauvin, “Should we move him?” and Chavin says, “No.” George Floyd died of positional asphyxiation. I can see the jury giving a “guilty“ verdict for 3rd degree manslaughter, but “not guilty” to the 2nd degree murder charge.
Why is it so hard?
Your threat to fire Ryan yesterday reminded me of this. Just watch the first 30 seconds. I mean the whole clip is pretty good.
The other day someone donated to Tim Pool to ask about turning you down last weekend (he denies it) – it goes for about 30 seconds:
If he’s open to having you on, I’d love to see you do it. Tim is constantly talking about fighting the culture war by featuring badass influential guests to draw people in who are put off by the left. You’ve red-pilled a generation, and this would be a great way to keep that going.
Ryan, you’re doing a great job.
his is old but gold and in reference to your show a few weeks back.
Watch this total prick get schooled by Jacob Reece-Mogg.
Please observe…. A petulant cunt gets a lesson he deserves as said vile prick’s BS strategy gets exposed by a supreme intellectual orator who deploys reductive reasoning and rational facts to demonstrate he is indeed a cunt. Rather beautifully I’d say 🏿🦰🧉
Note how this dickhead agrees with him as a faux put down but actually agrees with him…. Nauseating gimp.
great video here on symbolic and materialistic worldviews,
this will help you understand the problem of the age of the universe, for example.
If you want to avoid the stupid quarantine hotels upon your return to Canada, simply say “no, thanks”. Watch this video for further explanation. Cheers!
You blew it on the best episode in awhile. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is about your base needs (food shelter etc), and works up as you satisfy those base requirements. At the top is self-actualization, which means it’s the least important for life for most of the population, and people should focus on the lower levels before even thinking about airy fairy stuff.
C’mon guys. Its fine not to like academia these days, but some of it is valuable. Do a bit of research.
I thought he was going to get hit by a car showing off, but no, he lived. Dance in your own driveway.
What did Obama do to the reporter that wrote about his ears being big? As far as I can tell it is scrubbed from the internet
I hate the current state of our fagstopian country and can’t wait for the revival.
Great show. You are part of what saves my psyche.
Hello so I have a belief that the issue with ideology is not where you are on the spectrum per say, but in making sure that its being used to drive the evoulationary arms race.
And i say this believe it or not from the perspective of an individual with far left beliefs. I view the far right as the husband who is the check for stability which exists for the wife who in response acts as the evoultinary vanguard and is subserviant to her husband.
I would love to talk more about this if your interested and I would enjoy contributing to the creation of a world in which the poor such as me are, able to legally have their individual rights kept to the minimum in exchange for the communal rights we desire and need.
It would be a world where instead of fighting to overthrow the natural patriachy, we would in fact enable it and be seen as the communal property of the right.
I say this as a gay man as well who hates the modern concept of gay rights. I believe we were happier when slavery was legal and we were emasculated and sort of like the past equvialant of what are now called pets.
We would be often loved unlike the slaves who were not fixed and who would consist of poor straight men who were more or less cattle and so i think the historical bashing of slavery is an injustice to gays like me who desire a traditional lifestyle.
There have also been studies that have shown the brains of gay men are symmetrical like those of woman, so we are more like intersex and we should be treated like females and given their concept of rights in a normal patrichal society.
And if we are young enough i believe, it makes sense for us to become female, although the older gays like me should be emasculated and enslaved like we were in the past.
This is because the value of any woman is always with regards to how she can support her husband and so being a gay male past puberty means that its in the interest of the landlord to have me emasculated and sent to serve wealthy families instead.
I don’t know what the liberal fucks think about it but, here’s what my take on Malsow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
As you go up the pyramid, the needs become less important; not more. You can’t worry about self-actualization, such as “gender identify,” if you’re starving or being hunted by a warring tribe. It’s only because of the incredible security afforded to modern Western Civilization that we’re even able to consider any of this liberal mumbo jumbo. Hence the mantra:
- Hard times create strong men
- Strong men create good times
- Good times create weak men
- Weak men create hard times
Keep up the Good Fight!
On the show on April 15th, you guys brought up Ken Marino and how naturally gifted and funny he happens to be. Coincidentally, I was watching Eastbound and Down outtakes the other day, and there was a particularly funny improv moment with him and Danny McBride. Danny stumbles on a line during one of the scenes and it makes Ken laugh. Ken, being the comedic genius that he is, decided to use it and it ended up making the episode. I have provided the link.
4:07 – 4:31
This is like the 5th email I have written to you. For the love of God, read the fuckin’ thing. You read the emails of inverted inbreds all god damn show.
Anyway, I wanna suck your fat dick with my clogs on
Sorry for rambling like a mad woman.
But. What kind of scum bag says at 49 years old. “It’s about time I think about myself”. Midst argument.
Last year, I used to ask. “Just tell me the truth. I know where the door is”. And he was so offended. We broke up 6 months. I wanted to come back and try again. What a mistake.
We haven’t talked in 8 weeks. I text vented but was advised to stop. But being in love with someone. And then having your dreams of family shattered. It makes you craZzy !! Why don’t I just talk to him? No, in the ost I used to and he’d be half watching tv and PlayStation. I’d get so rallied up. And then he’s get annoyed and explosive. It was a toxics formula.
But 8 weeks over text, he’ll argue.
In the fact that I loved him. And came back with forgiveness. Knowing his past( before me he cheated on his wife 5 years. Got caught and wife served him a divorce ). Then I came around in between thT not knowing. But madly in love with him. And 2017 I moved in. We argued a lot but got along.
When I left. It was due to the same factors as now. He just blamed me for everything and took no responsibility for our relationship. Whenever I defended or spoke up for myself. I’m an annoyance. If I wasn’t a good little doggie. Like when I was more naïve…
The two times in 5 years. His son. From his ex. I don’t bother the kid. I love him. I live and let live. The ONLY thing I ask, common respect; Good morning , “hello” when we come home and “have a good day”. If he’s an ass I addressed it to the father. But sometimes I took the rings. Because the father would ask me “what did you do?” … I got super offended. Because i don’t understand? Am I a child to be questioned as soo ? I’m an adult. So I’d lose my shit. Especially when he told his son who completely ignored me whEn I came home and said hi. “Jordan when someone says hi you say hi back.” … so I am someone. I am not even your gf… that was 2019.
I left. Coming back. The mofo, whom I loved still and forgave. We wanted to wanted pregnant. But , later on I began to see who dictated our home and how come we were fighting. The ex wife. She would threaten ziggy that she’d take Jordan away because zIggy and me argued. In the past 2019- and before we were hostile. But leaving 6 months and this time around we bickered like a couple. I lost my shit again, “who rules the house and our relationship? Your ex? You had three years to grandfather your divorce. “… and I was just livid.
Then when I calmed down. He burns me again by telling the cow I was pregnant, which HE KNEW I wanted to tell Jordan. No his ex wife got to tel the son the good news. And I lost it again. That was my joy for the pregnancy. And you know. Not once he said “sorry I fuked up” or just a simple sorry. In his mind, he isn’t. He compared his ex wife to my telling my mother. My only surviving parent. “Well you didn’t ask me how I felt telling your mom and brother “.
That situation I forced him a couples therapist. But I think he saw how bad this situation was. And tried to advise “you both need to focus on the child”… the third burn. It was discussed in therapy. But ziggy just tried to ask an apology for three years proir. “You owe me an apology for the three years that of what you put me through “ —— the narcissist mother fuker !! The couples therapist said there’s nothing he can help as he sees that ziggy doesn’t want to meet half way. And that’s him being polite. But reality : what kind of selfish fuk is he to do this to me. Despite what I have I can take the truth with a shovel and then make my best move. Which would be to leave. No he wanted my support for his house then. Or a background accessory. I had an ex where I could have had a home from his parents rent free, beck and call. But I said no. I’m depressed (before I knew about BPD. ) and I wanted him to find himself and be happy. I’d never dream of taking any more time from his life. We tried. I’m messed up. I fell out of love. But looking back I know he would have went to therapy with me and supported me. Sadly it hurt. But I wanted him to be happy. He has two kids and is married. Isn’t that better than being a greedy selfish fuk?
These arguments. The fuker takes my money that I contributed to the home. Tells me it pays shit. Tells me I’m a. Leach. Tells me if I’m as a dog he’d put me down. The baby room is not ready as all but these 8 weeks he’s put more time in the garage than the 4 years more or less that I’ve been here. When I left 2019 the jerk told me “I have a house and you have nothing “… “I regret getting you pregnant”“Get lost”
I asked Ziggy “just tell me the truth. I know where the door is”
This selfish ass couldn’t even come talk and say “look I know we haven’t physically talked in 7 weeks but what I think is best is we end this. And you find your own place “ he can’t be a man and say it. And I refuse to! Why? BecUse he’ll kick me out and take my stuff hostage and tel me “only when I’m home can you come into my house. When I say”… like 2019. He talks to me like I’m a thief!!!! It’s fuking mad. Why would I steal? I paid what you asked. I contributed to the home. Like for fuk sakes let me get my stuff !
When we got back together. He can’t play stupid that he didn’t know I had a light form of BPD. As they said. The shitty childhood fuked me up. But I don’t cut or break things. But I ramble. If I took proper English maybe I’d be better at it.
What a fool I am to forgive his asshole. I truly loved him. And got burned. With a blessing of a child. But being 35-36 this year. I am praying no autism. I expect he may get a genetic factor of BPD. Which I saw in my nephew. But with my nephew ever negative remark. I told him no he’s fine and he just need to be stronger and that I love him. I’d never ever repeat the abuse my mom did to me or dads neglect. When he died he left me nothing. And I never went chasing for it. Because at the end my father was kind and was there for me. And even if they favour my brother the asshole. I was okay with getting nothing. Because love the little in whatever form it was. Meant more to me than any $$.
But Christ does it end? I just wanted a family. I didn’t expect to be used so stupidly. Especially but a selfish 49 year old. With an unfinished home 15 years. And knowing this now. It’s time to go.
Now…The fact that he argued 8 weeks. Only now he is silent. And ignores me completely. 8 months pregnant. For me that says he has someone else. He can’t keep it dry. And my getting pregnant turned him off. I have no clue. I don’t want to stay to find out
I make less than 1k every 2 weeks. No savings. The apartment prices in montreal are skyrocketing to half a mortgage $ 810- $1000 for a 4 1/2. The plateau $700 for a 1 1/2 – 2 1/2. How am I to provide for the child? I am definitely not saying in this house. This is how I became moms vent. She went nuts. I think i repeated and found similar to my dad. Just wanted a compliant person with no problems. Just east shit. His sons attitude and clean the house. Fuk like a devil in bed. I feel so cheated out of life. But right now. The focus is to get an apartment before the birth. And just get this kid into boys scouts and games with male influences and not the father who is 49 and plays PlayStation 5 and shoved his first son the iPad at 2. His son is 12 and it’s mornings with an iPad, after school , he plus a bit but returns to the iPad. And at night he games now like his father on the pc. I used to say if he took a sport I’d drive him. I’d encourage his kid. But I guess ziggy and his cow ex wife are just lazy Fuks also. And I just happen to be the background accessory until I became an annoyance.
Why does my life suck so hard. Even choice I thought it would be good. Turns out to be a shitty choice. I’m growing over weight as I’m drained. I don’t excercise like before. It could be living in ziggys junk yard palace that took the life out of me. When I left 2019 I lost 10lbs in two months. So perhaps. I’m better independent. But seriously, I’m done with relationships. I don’t know what mental damage this situation caused to me. But I know last time I left I had a nervous break down. This time with the child coming may 15. I can’t afford this. I don’t self harm. Just hyperventilating and crying. Ziggy has been told he isn’t permitted there for the birth. Those remarks “if you were a dog I’d put you down”… “ya I regret getting you pregnant”.
My mom insults me for being stupid. Like. It doesn’t fuking end.
Let me shut up here.
Rambling like a fool.
I guess I’m trying to not vent to ziggy has 8 weeks not. Ignoring me. Not asking how I feel or having his hand in my belly to feel the baby move. I got the message. It’s just apartments are so dam expensive. I’m forced to find a 3 1/2 so I can have money for day care and then Put him in sport. And try to raise a happy kid.
Ok take care
Dear Gavin and Thee Most Exalted Potentate of The Fag Zone If you want a good explanation of how WWI got started. Look no further than Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World, is a book by Patrick J. Buchanan, In order to set up his premise of how unnecessary WW2 was , he gives a pretty good explanation of WWI. It’s a great read.
Big bitch falling backwards while running forward
I got pulled over in my work truck with 2 Co workers of the cloudy persuasion. I ended up saying something snarky to the officer (Nothing insulting, just a lame remark about the DOT).
After receiving my warning, for a tail light, my cloudy cohorts began saying “if you were black he would have pulled you out and Beat your ass”.
This conversation quickly turned into me being grilled on the existence of white privilege.
I tried to explain the difference between their perceived notion of white privilege and good old fashioned racism but they were having none of it and continued to bounce their ignorant incoherent ramblings off of each other.
Is there any point in trying to get any kind of opposing view into these fuckers brains or am I trying to drink whisky from a bottle of wine?
By the way for fucks sake, we all know it says “Gavin’s Alt Right and his pussy is pretty tight”, give it a rest already.
Fuck Me sideways,
‘m sure your hipster asses have heard of this band. They are originally from Kalamazoo, MI but moved to Seattle in the early 2000s. Thought they would be up your alley.
Love the show,
I am a huge advocate of Gavin’s theory that all animals are losers, so when my wife wanted to go to the zoo this weekend, I set out to purchase a t-shirt with “Animals are Losers” written on it. Lo and behold my Google pulled up this article written in 1994, and while it kind of has a meandering prose, he fleshed out a few of the same points you did (though not as comedically or succinctly) https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-04-18-9404170281-story.html
It was only after I read the article that I thought I recognized the authors name and looked him up, and guess who it fucking is?? Same motherfucker who wrote “Marley and Me”, that sappy Owen Wilson movie about how much he loves his stupid dog. Journos are hippocritical trash, always have been.
Anyway, to end this shitty letter is a “Would you Rather” :
Have a dick the size of a nipple, or have nipples the size of dicks?
I like your new sunglasses, | {
"date": "2021-08-03T01:21:50Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154408.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20210802234539-20210803024539-00548.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9707548022270203,
"token_count": 5369,
"url": "https://censored.tv/news/dear-censored-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/"
} |
Queer Muslim Shorts
Queer Muslim Shorts
April 9, 12:00 PM – April 9, 3:00 PM
QUEER MUSLIM SHORTS is returning for its third year to celebrate this unique identity with stories exploring family, relationships, and faith. From heartwarming dramas to chuckling comedies, expect a wide range of emotions and an overwhelming sense of joy! Curated by Beyza Bk.
This event is proud to be co-presented by: Queer Muslims of Boston , Muslims for Progressive Values
Sheer Qorma is a story of belonging and acceptance, identity and family, and how it comes together under one roof, as resilient, queer Muslim women and non-binary characters of colour, choose to embrace love that exists beyond their personal beliefs and social moralities.
Directed by Faraz Arif Ansari 30 m English, Hindi, Urdu India Foreign, Drama
A Palestinian young gay tries to manipulate between his freedom and his family, getting in the middle of a great dilemma.
Directed by Rami Fahel 16 m Hebrew, Arabic Palestine Foreign, Drama
Noor & Layla
Noor and Layla are breaking up. Is it the end of the road for these two Muslim women… or is it the beginning? Noor & Layla is about reclaiming ritual through the love story of two queer, Muslim women, told at five different moments in their relationship, marked by the five calls to prayer (fajr, dhur, asr, maghrib, isha). The film opens at fajr, the dawn prayer, at the end of their relationship and follows a reverse chronology to the evening prayer, isha, the moment they first meet.
Directed by Fawzia Mirza 13 m English Canada Drama
A breakdown on the way to the airport provides a father and son with an opportunity to reconnect.
Directed by Saleh Saadi 15 m Arabic Palestine Drama, Foreign
Zaid, a young Arab-American amateur drag queen has to confront his conservative father and Alzheimer's grandfather about his identity.
Directed by Reem Jubran 12 m Arabic, English United States Drama
The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night
All cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican girlfriend home for the first time on the family's annual game night
Directed by Fawzia Mirza 11 m English United States Comedy, Action | {
"date": "2023-06-05T01:17:19Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650409.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604225057-20230605015057-00308.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9340997338294983,
"token_count": 530,
"url": "https://www.wickedqueer.org/events/muslim-shorts"
} |
Before he stars in the revolution-turned-play The Fall for Art Centre Melbourne’s Big World, Up Close series next week, we sat down with artist and actor Sihle Mnqwazanza to get some insights on why this production is not one to be missed.
How would you describe The Fall to people unfamiliar with the production?
The Fall is a play about seven students who in the moment of 2015 brought down the statue – or rather mobilised students and workers on the campus of the University of Cape Town to bring down the statue of Cecil John Rhodes – an imperialist and colonialist – which then acted as a catalyst for bringing down many other things that the statue represented such as patriarchy, sexism, queerphobia, issues with fees and accessibility to the university especially for people of colour.
How are those themes shown in The Fall?
We’ve got seven characters and those seven characters represent different parts of the movement and different ideologies. In a way they embody the experiences, so it is lived experiences that they come with and converge in the moment where the statue is being mobilised and taken down. We’ve got your patriarchal, black, radical male activists and we’ve got your black, radical, feminists on the other end with patriarchy and sexism being put into question. We’ve also got a girl who is questioning, someone who is not sure of where the movement is going or what they are mobilising for but wants to participate and is interested in knowing what black pain is and what has been spoken about. We’ve got a Muslim, queer character in the play too who is a leader, a fierce leader and one who is an intellectual. We’ve got a non-binary character who doesn’t identify with any of the gender binaries. So all these characters meet in one space and they represent different parts of the movement as the movement progresses from the start to 2016.
How did you find the response in South Africa to all these different characters when you first showed the play?
At first, we were very nervous, I must admit, because we didn’t want to be seen as appropriating our struggle and representing it in a way that was not truthful but also at the same time we had to take into account that we were also artists and didn’t necessarily want to push propaganda with the show because we wanted to represent a side.
So, our way of getting into it was basically representing the human side, the human story that wasn’t there in the media when the movements were portrayed.
By tapping into that and then opening the show to mostly students who were members of the movement in the beginning most of them related since they could see themselves through the characters on stage. That came as a great surprise to most of us, that they were supporting us and talking to us about the accuracy of the depictions. From there onwards knowing we had the backing of the people who were part of the movement – as we were too – we then were like ‘we can now take the story further’ so that we amplify the voice of the students on campus who were seemingly suppressed by the management and also sometimes the media. We then wanted to take the story to the people and get people to experience the humanness and a lot of people have connected with that.
How was it for you going through the movement itself, especially being an artist and having that impact your work?
I was with the movement from the beginning to the end. I was one of the people who was removing students from classes to bring them to some of the transformation talks that we had out on campus. I was swept with the movement because everyone was going with the wave of ‘let’s bring down the statues’ even though I didn’t quite understand it fully in the beginning. It took me some time, being in the movement, to realise that it was taking a toll on me. I was becoming stressed, I was worried about my studies, [thinking] am I going to pass? So I started reflecting while in the movement and then realised now I must take a seat back and listen more instead of being active on the forefront. I had to listen more to find myself within the narrative that was being pushed and find what it was that I could contribute. In doing that [I thought] ‘well I’m an artist, let me rather observe and if ever there is a moment where we need to share this on a bigger platform (because we were getting so much backlash from the media and the management) then it is through my creativity’. At the same time on campus as the movement was happening we were performing in a play called ‘Black Dog Inj’emnyama’ which is about the student movement in 1976. We had a lot of backlash with the students but also a lot of breakthroughs with that so as I was thinking through the moment of performing ‘Black Dog’ that ‘well how about we depict those talks about the story of what is happening on campus currently instead of talking about a story from 1976’ as so many of the things they were fighting for in 1976 could correlate with what we were fighting for in 2015. I then situated myself as an artist and ended up speaking with the CEO of the Baxter who was also thinking along the same lines.
How do you think that the story is going to correlate with the social, political, and cultural environment of Australia?
It’s funny because we had our first international audience in Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and we had some Aboriginal Australians that were also performing at the time who came to see our show and who were visibly moved as they felt connected to the experiences that we were depicting, of the marginalised voices of native people. They felt connected to that and they were calling [saying] ‘we want people in our own country to see this so that we open up this discussion even more because these are some of the things that we are dealing with in Australia’. What we hope with bringing it to Australia is to open up dialogue and have these conversations to talk about how we can move forward by looking at our history.
We found ourselves saying with everything that is happening globally, it’s becoming a very universal topic that is no longer rooted within the people who are going through the pain of it but also the people who are observing it and are allies.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
I’m shooting a film called ‘The Lifesaver’ about a prisoner who gets reformed over time and I’m playing a prisoner who is a gangster. That’s what I am passionate about, reformation, changing people’s perceptions of someone who is put on the outskirts of life and who is neglected because they are gangster. People do not understand the internal pain that they are going through and that beyond everything we see on face value someone can be changed.
Sihle Mnqwazanza can be seen at the Arts Centre Melbourne in The Fall from August 28 – September 2.
Bookings: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au and 1300 182 183 | {
"date": "2020-04-08T02:49:34Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371807538.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20200408010207-20200408040707-00350.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9877712726593018,
"token_count": 1481,
"url": "https://www.speakertv.com/news/latest-news/interview-with-an-artistic-activist-sihle-mnqwazanza/"
} |
By John Sturrock QC
Chief Executive and Senior Mediator
Core Solutions Group
Published in Justice Matters: Essays on Improving Scotland's Justice System
Mediation encourages parties who have – or who anticipate having – differences, conflict or a dispute to sit down and talk, with a view to finding a mutually acceptable way forward. It is usually most appropriate when, for a number of reasons, people are unable to negotiate effectively for themselves or have reached some sort of impasse or deadlock. It recognises that direct negotiations can be difficult in many situations. It can also be effective to prevent awkward situations escalating.
A mediator is a skilled independent facilitator who works impartially with all concerned. Discussions take place in a confidential setting, the purpose of which is to help the parties to find a constructive solution that meets their real interests and needs. It enables people to engage in effective negotiations and to seek to understand, narrow and, wherever possible, resolve the differences or dispute between them.
The mediator does not impose a solution - the parties themselves decide the outcome, the terms of any agreement between them and how to take matters forward. Nothing which is said or done is binding on anyone unless and until they agree that it should be, at which point the agreement is usually recorded in writing.
Mediation is sometimes viewed as a “soft” approach. This is to misunderstand it and its purpose. Discussions in mediation ought always to be respectful and dignified. However, they can also be – and often are - rigorous and challenging, as difficult issues are wrestled with and faced up to with the help of the skilled mediator.
Mediation can be used at any time, whether or not court or other formal proceedings are in progress. Often, mediation is used in circumstances where litigation is not even in prospect and where no lawyers are involved. Similarly, it is increasingly used in many countries to help parties in a court case to avoid the further cost, time and risk of court proceedings. It can also be used to help people in many settings to finalise contracts, create joint ventures and build better professional, business and personal relationships.
In many countries, mediation is seen primarily as an alternative to court (Alternative Dispute Resolution, or “ADR”). In some jurisdictions this has been very successful. However, this can also place limits on mediation’s scope. It can tend to become legalistic and formal. The beauty of mediation, however, is its infinite flexibility and informality as a means to help people in diverse situations to explore the real underlying issues and look creatively at options for the future, without being limited by legal concepts and indeed by notions of rights and entitlement.
(“ADR” is a term which should be avoided: it is restrictive and ambiguous. It is sometimes taken to refer to mediation, on other occasions to include arbitration, conciliation and a range of other processes. In any event, this expression creates uncertainty by being suggestive of “alternative to” something of prior importance rather than referring to one of a range of equally valid means to help resolve disputes in appropriate ways. As an example, in a number of US states, mediation is simply described as one of a variety of means of dispute resolution. People choose how they want to resolve their dispute without a presumption in favour of any one process.)
In a rights-based world, where people are encouraged to take and support opposing positions, mediation focuses instead on real interests and needs. The classic adversarial and binary approach of courts and what we call positional negotiation (right/wrong, black/white, win/lose) is replaced by the recognition that there are usually several sides to most stories, depending on perspective, experience, assumptions, motivations, hopes, fears, aspirations and objectives. Modern behavioural psychology, with the extraordinary advances in our understanding of the workings of the brain and neuro-science, supports this more sophisticated approach as a recognition of the non-binary and complex nature of many disputes and indeed of most personal, professional and business relationships.
Mediation is used whenever and wherever negotiation has failed or is in need of assistance. These are just some examples from Scotland:
Classically, the benefits of mediation are said to be:
Communication: most conflict is the result of inadequate or ineffective communication. “Why didn’t we have this conversation a year ago” is a phrase we hear more than any other. Mediation enables people to have conversations, to address difficult issues and to work through differences of view in a carefully structured way guided by a skilled third party. Crucially, in many situations (neighbours, business partners, contractors, families, in the work place) this can help to restore, enhance and rebuild relationships.
Confidentiality: the ability to discuss privately the real issues and not to be bound by anything said or done unless and until an agreement is reached.
Control: the parties retain control over the outcome rather than handing it over to lawyers or a judge or other third party adjudicator. Lawyers are often involved in mediation as advisers, advocates and confidantes but one of its defining features is party autonomy.
Closure: for many people, ending a dispute is as important as the outcome. Thus being able to bring a matter to a sensible conclusion without the time, stress, possible publicity, management cost, opportunity cost, reputational risk and loss of morale entailed in long, drawn out conflict is a real advantage. The vast majority of matters dealt with by mediation are resolved quickly and effectively.
Certainty: allied to closure and control is the knowledge of an agreed outcome and avoidance of the risk and uncertainty inherent in handing over dispute resolution to third parties. Being a consensual process, mediation has a remarkably high success and implementation rate.
Creativity: traditional problem-solving tends, because of its adversarial nature, to be binary. Courts are generally limited to money remedies and, on rare occasions to specific remedies such as interdict. There is, understandably, no scope for constructive approaches to dispute resolution. This promotes a culture where money/compensation/claims are the only way in which needs can be addressed.
However, research and experience tells us that most people want other and different things: for example, the contracted-for work to be completed, a service to be improved, an apology or acknowledgement of error or mistake to be made (regardless of legal liability), a return to work, recognition of pain suffered, reassurance that steps will be taken to prevent a recurrence, an explanation of what happened/went wrong, a renewed personal or business relationship. All of these can be discussed at mediation.
Cost-saving: while there are different formats for mediation (given its flexibility), broadly, mediation takes a day (or perhaps two) to help parties to reach a conclusion. From first inquiry through to agreement, only a few weeks is generally required. Overall, this should be much less expensive than other procedures, especially court or tribunal. From the perspective of individual cases, this enables resolution without (often hugely) disproportionate expenditure; from the overall perspective of public sector spending, this can bring significant savings in the overall justice budget.
Most of these benefits arise, both in individual instances and more generally for society, regardless of steps taken to improve the delivery of court and other formal services. While the court (and arbitration) are important for some cases where a definitive decision by a third party is desirable, in most matters this is not what people want. Indeed, while millions of pounds and people-hours are devoted to the civil justice system, only a very small percentage of cases in the system (5%?) are actually decided by judges. The goal should be to take out of the system as early as possible (or remove altogether) all those cases which consume time, resource and money and yet are ultimately settled by agreement, very often after great expense has been incurred not only by public funds but by litigants, business, funders, insurers and others.
Thus, it would make financial sense to devote more resources to prevention of unnecessary litigation at an early stage in order to reduce the disproportionate expenditure at the expensive stage. Investment in early stage resolution, including encouraging more skilled approaches to negotiation and mediation, could save millions of pounds. In many countries and in many states in the US for example, the civil justice system leads the way in innovative measures to reduce the use of courts. This also frees up courts to handle quickly and effectively those matters which can only be decided by judges (and/or juries).
It is important to emphasise, however, that the benefits of mediation are far wider than merely saving public expenditure and that mediation is not just a way of reducing the cost of courts.
By finding creative ways to address disputes early and effectively (or even to prevent them from occurring or escalating at all), mediation offers a corresponding potential opportunity to enhance business performance, improve productivity, and reduce opportunity and remedial costs. These benefits apply in both the public and private sectors and could have a significant impact on business and overall economic performance and on the level and efficiency of public expenditure.
Research shows that the costs of conflict are high - it has been estimated that it costs UK business over £30bn a year, takes up 20% of leadership time and results in the loss of 370 million working days. The nature of the costs are not only financial, but can include: lost opportunities, distraction from profitable work, poorer service, damaged relationships and reputations, demotivation of staff, increased uncertainty and overall loss of confidence. These costs can have a hugely detrimental impact on business performance and company valuation.
Conflict inevitably represents a significant loss of productivity, which is the main driver of economic development. Even if we accept that conflict is inevitable, the more that can be done to manage it effectively and nip it in the bud, the greater will be the improvement in individual company and other economic results and in the performance of the economy as a whole. Mediation offers such a means.
There is a significant amount of mediation taking place in Scotland. As an essentially private process, it is rather difficult to quantify numerically. It is however still very much a minority pursuit. Family mediation has been established for nearly 30 years. Relationships Scotland supports a network of 22 locally based family mediation services, but family mediation is probably still rather intermittent. A number of initiatives and legislative proposals have brought mediation to some community, housing and other activities. These still tend to be rather sporadic. In Glasgow, Edinburgh and Airdrie Sheriff Court, projects exist supporting mediation in small claims and summary cause cases. These are supported by volunteers and often on a shoestring budget. Despite this, mediations are taking place that are resolving disputes in a very high percentage of cases. Most local authorities have mediation services although the scope and scale of these services is under pressure in the current financial climate. An initiative to introduce mediation in planning has not proceeded despite a pilot scheme in 2010 which demonstrated potential for many savings and gains.
As noted above, mediation also occurs in a broad range of commercial disputes and in workplace, employment and public sector matters. Many major matters have been resolved in this way in recent years. Generally, this is a matter of choice and dependent on individual (usually legal) advisers and (occasionally) clients suggesting it. To that extent a more flexible and creative approach has been taken to mediation in Scotland which has seen it develop in a less legalistic way than in England, for example.
However, and perhaps rather sadly, the use of mediation in Scotland has not grown as it has in other countries. In England and the Republic of Ireland for example, much greater emphasis is placed on encouraging mediation through the courts. The same is true in countless jurisdictions around the world, in less developed as well as developed nations. In many places, legislation has been introduced to place mediation on a statutory footing. In Scotland, it has been observed that the courts in particular have, generally, been reluctant to recommend or encourage the use of mediation.
Possible rules of court on the use of mediation were drafted in about 2004 but no progress was made pending the review of the civil courts. It is perhaps fair to say that the review was only lukewarm about mediation as a central part of dispute resolution architecture in Scotland. There has been a misconception that encouraging mediation is in some way contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights and the right to a fair trial. As many senior English judges have said, that is not so. If mediation is unsuccessful, parties can still pursue their cases in court. Nobody can be compelled to reach agreement in mediation against their will.
The opportunity to place mediation on a sounder footing as part of the radical reforms of civil justice has not yet been taken in Scotland. In England, courts regularly take into account refusal to mediate as a factor in assessing allocation of costs in a litigation. The recent Jackson reforms of the English cost regime, following the Woolf reforms nearly two decades ago, are informed by the need to help parties to resolve cases early and with proportionate cost. The same has not occurred in Scotland. Thus, from a business point of view, Scotland is a less attractive forum for many litigants than other jurisdictions. English-based lawyers and clients frequently express astonishment at what they view as the outdated approach in Scotland.
Professional training in mediation occurs regularly and there are many more trained mediators than have work in mediation. Many of these use their mediation skills in other contexts such as management, HR, consulting and strategic work. They are an untapped resource. Many lawyers are trained in and use mediation skills, often to great effect, in Scotland. Many other lawyers are resistant to its use. Research shows that this is not just about fear of loss of revenue but that many complex psychological reasons are at play, including over-optimism, undue reliance on past experience or intuition, the fallacy of sunk costs, reluctance to change and risk aversion. A recent conference in London revealed that, apparently, the principal impediment to greater use of mediation in many jurisdictions is the reluctance of legal advisers.
Legal professional obligations could be changed to place greater emphasis on the need to advise about mediation. The Law Society of Scotland has shown understanding of this. Scottish lawyers have a great opportunity to change this trend.
It might also be said that in legal and other education, our universities appear to be slower, at undergraduate level (there are some fine masters’ courses), than many others elsewhere to build negotiation and mediation into the curriculum as central features. Arguably, the same can be said of schools. These are life skills which will help us all to cope with conflict and difficult situations in the future.
John Sturrock QC
Chief Executive and Senior Mediator
Core Solutions Group
Edinburgh 0131 524 8188 | {
"date": "2018-03-22T17:37:47Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2018-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647901.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20180322170754-20180322190754-00319.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.969107985496521,
"token_count": 3025,
"url": "http://www.core-solutions.com/page/making-better-use-of-mediation-to-resolve-disputes/"
} |
While reflecting on recent news about health care, I think back on the lives of Anarcha, Betsy, Lucy and nine other unnamed enslaved Black women who were experimented on by the “father of modern gynecology,” a white doctor named J. Marion Sims.
Without their consent or anesthesia (which was available at the time), Sims perfected a procedure on the women between 1845-1849 to repair vaginal fistulas, a common condition at the time affecting many women who gave birth.
Once heralded as feats by the medical community, Sims’ experiments are part of a long history of atrocities committed against Black women’s bodies in the U.S. in the name of science and the public good.
Black women and femmes today continue to face medical horrors, which is why we must demand better from our policymakers.
We owe this to Anarcha, Betsy, Lucy and the other enslaved Black women defiled by Sims.
Our society has always perceived Black bodies as disposable, except when they benefit those who are white, male and/or wealthy. When we’re not generating profits for white supremacist institutions, Black femme bodies are viewed as needing to be controlled.
Eugenics, a worldview that only people with desired traits should reproduce, resulted in federally-funded sterilization programs that targeted women of color, disabled folks, incarcerated folks, immigrants, and single mothers in 32 states throughout the 20th century.
Furthermore, bodily autonomy is constantly threatened by anti-choice legislation from conservatives, who seek to limit our access to abortion and birth control. Ironically, when we do have children, the government feels no obligation to take care of them.
Biases and prejudices within both our government and medical system negatively impact the quality of healthcare for Black women.
A study released by the University of Virginia in 2016 found that some medical students believe Black people feel less pain than whites and that this belief likely affects how they treat their patients.
As a working-class, Black, queer, non-binary woman, I’ve had my own pain discounted by white physicians. For almost 20 years, I suffered from debilitating period pain and most providers recommended the age-old remedy of Ibuprofen and a heating pad.
I often wonder if the cysts on my ovaries would have been discovered sooner if I were white.
And while I’m grateful for having health insurance that covered my IUD insertion last December — making my periods much less painful — I know other Black women aren’t so lucky.
Dr. Zakiya Luna, a professor of sociology at the University of California Santa Barbara who researches reproductive justice movements, says that Black women and other oppressed groups with unequal access to health care are more likely to have illnesses that become compounded.
Black women experience disproportionately high rates of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and HIV/AIDS and are three to four times more likely to die during childbirth than white women.
When Republicans attack affordable health care, we’re one of the most impacted groups.
I’d argue that most Black women — who voted overwhelmingly in favor of Hillary Clinton last November — are supportive of the progress made possible by former Pres. Obama’s Affordable Care Act, including Medicaid expansion and banning discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.
We don’t want to lose the new protections provided for by Obamacare. A bill to repeal Obamacare recently failed to pass in the Senate, but Republicans seem more determined than ever to dismantle it.
Meanwhile, some congress members are advocating for a progressive health care bill to be introduced, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is in favor of a single-payer health care system.
While I appreciate those in power who are working towards more affordable health care, I wish they would listen to the folks who need it the most.
Right now, our legislators should be asking historically oppressed people what we want to see in a health care bill for ourselves and our communities.
Here’s list of five things that Black women want to see in a new health care bill:
1. Mandatory anti-oppression training for medical providers
As part of her research, Dr. Luna interviewed a PhD student and expecting mother who experienced microaggressions when visiting a new provider in a new town. Since the woman was swollen, she took off her wedding ring prior to her doctor visit.
“While she was getting care, her doctor made a comment about her being a single parent on welfare and that hadn’t been established as a fact in any way, shape, or form,” Dr. Luna says.
In that moment, it was clear the doctor was making assumptions about her relationship and financial statuses solely based on her appearance.
This is what happens when physicians aren’t educated about what oppression looks like in health care.
Medical schools need to train students on how to empathize with patients from historically oppressed backgrounds. Anti-oppression training would help debunk misconceptions they have about people of color, including the myth about Black people feeling less pain.
Now is the time for doctors to move beyond being just “culturally competent.”
“Most of us want more than just competent care providers. We want a care provider who cares about us, who cares about our success,” Dr. Luna says.
2. Access to nearby reproductive health and primary care, including birth control, abortions, and prenatal care
Bianca Campbell, a 29-year-old reproductive justice advocate and board member at Access Reproductive Care in Atlanta, says that if cisgender men gave birth, the act would be prioritized in our patriarchal society.
Patriarchy also presents barriers to abortion for Black women, which is why activists like Campbell are fighting to end the Hyde Amendment, which prevents public money from funding abortions.
Additionally, as someone whose health insurance doesn’t pay for her birth control of choice, Campbell is fighting for insurance companies to cover all types of birth control.
Besides access to reproductive health care, Campbell wants to see support for rural health care in a new health care bill. Black women in rural Georgia shouldn’t have to drive two hours to access the care they need.
There should be midwives, registered nurses, and community health workers on the ground in every city, whether big or small.
3. Access to culturally relevant mental health care.
Alisa Shockley, a 28-year-old doctoral student and lifetime Philadelphia resident, points to the burden of the “strong Black woman trope” as one reason why Black women in particular need access to mental health care.
Historically, Black women have been viewed as the backbone of the Black family – the person who places everyone else’s needs before their own and who never gets to simply take care of themselves. This stereotype is harmful to us because, often, we start believing it.
It’s essential for Black women to have access to mental health professionals who look like us and can empathize with our stories.
Campbell’s health insurance, which is paid entirely by her employer, doesn’t cover couples counseling from the therapists she prefers, which are Black women and Black queer and trans people.
Since their practices are mostly small, Black therapists often accept only a few types of insurance or cash. Black women need better access to these providers because they understand our experiences and the stigma against mental health care in communities of color.
4. More opportunities for aspiring Black physicians
Living in Seattle, it’s difficult to find Black doctors, especially ones who accept my specific health insurance. I envy people like Campbell who live in Black meccas and have access to Black-led health resources, such as the Center for Black Women’s Wellness in Atlanta.
Black women want more educational opportunities for aspiring Black physicians, especially Black women.
Between the 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 academic years, only 7.5 percent of students entering medical school identified as Black.
A health care bill shaped by Black women would provide POC with more pathways into medical school. Shockley says she hopes more medical students of color join the fight against discrimination within our healthcare system.
5. Support for holistic care
Black women want holistic care that focuses not just on the illness, but on the person as a whole. This is especially important for Black women with multiple oppressed identities, including those with disabilities.
“I want disabled bodies to be acknowledged as full, whole, perfect, beautiful, amazing bodies,” Campbell says. “The world needs to think about incorporating them as opposed to asking their bodies to conform.”
This means making sure disabled folks who need home health care services in order to stay independent are able to receive them. It also means training doctors to carefully consider all of a person’s care options instead of rushing them into costly and invasive procedures.
Holistic care looks like medical providers listening to communities who are most impacted by health issues.
“It’s important that new medical professionals are trained to really understand the importance of health care being not just about health, but also caring about people’s experiences and communities,” Dr. Luna says.
This is, by no means, a comprehensive list, but it’s a start.
If you are a Black woman, I hope this inspires you to reflect on your own health care experiences and how they could be better. If you love a Black woman, ask her if and how you can support her health goals and needs.
Our bodies are little miracles and deserve the best care. Black women’s voices should be centered in any new health care bill in order to ensure that all Black people and all women have access to quality health care.
Neesha Powell-Twagirumukiza (she & they pronouns) is an Everyday Feminism Reporting Fellow. Neesha identifies as an intersectional feminist, womanist, writer, community organizer, facilitator, dancer, freedom fighter, wife, and cat mama. She’s constantly conspiring in the name of liberated Black futures, queer and trans people of color power, solidarity economics, and transformative justice/community accountability. Neesha’s based in a suburb south of Seattle, where she lives, loves, and creates with chosen family.
Search our 3000+ articles!
Our online racial justice training
Used by hundreds of universities, non-profits, and businesses.
Click to learn more | {
"date": "2023-05-28T13:31:20Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643784.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528114832-20230528144832-00538.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9630181193351746,
"token_count": 2184,
"url": "https://everydayfeminism.com/2017/08/black-women-healthcare-plan/"
} |
Artificial intelligence experts from Facebook, Google, and Microsoft called on Amazon not to sell its facial recognition software to police
zz/Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx
- A group of AI experts penned an open letter to Amazon calling for the company to stop selling its facial recognition software, called Rekognition, to law enforcement.
- The letter says there are currently no safeguards in place to stop misuse of the technology, which has shown particular levels of inaccuracy when given images of women and people with darker skin tones.
- A number of those experts work at other major tech firms working on AI, including Google, Microsoft, and Facebook. There was also a former principal scientist from Amazon.
- Separately, the ACLU raised concerns about Rekognition last year after it ran a test on the software and found it misidentified 28 members of Congress as people who had previously been arrested.
A group of 55 AI experts have signed an open letter to Amazon calling on the company to stop selling its facial recognition software to police.
The signatories included researchers from tech giants like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google as well as AI powerhouses DeepMind and OpenAI. A former principal scientist at Amazon Web Services, Anima Anandkumar, also signed the letter.
"We call on Amazon to stop selling Rekognition to law enforcement as legislation and safeguards to prevent misuse are not in place," the signatories wrote, citing infringement on civil liberties as a potential consequence.
Read more: Why it's totally unsurprising that Amazon's recruitment AI was biased against women
The letter is part of an ongoing back and forth between external experts worried about whether Amazon's Rekognition facial recognition software shows bias, and Amazon scientists who deny these claims.
The debate began when researchers at the MIT and the University of Toronto published a paper in January which found Amazon's Rekognition software, when tasked with deciding whether an image of a person was a man or a woman, was more inaccurate when it came to recognising women and people with darker skin tones.
In response, Amazon Web Services' general manager of artificial intelligence Dr. Matt Wood and its VP of Global Public Policy Michael Punke wrote a series of blog posts claiming that the paper was "misleading."
Wednesday's open letter dissects Wood and Punke's objections to the paper, concluding that it finds their response to the peer-reviewed paper "disappointing."
The signatories point out that, according to the study, Amazon had an error rate of approximately 31% when given women of color. It also took issue with binary gender classification methods, as they exclude non-binary genders. And they noted that Amazon has not disclosed who its Rekognition customers are, what its error rates are across different intersectional demographics, nor is the software subject to any kind of external audit.
Separately, civil rights organisation the ACLU has raised concerns about Rekognition in the past, and ran a test of the software in which it mistakenly identified 28 members of congress as people who had previously been arrested. The false matches disproportionately affected people of color.
"If law enforcement is using Amazon Rekognition, it's not hard to imagine a police officer getting a 'match' indicating that a person has a previous concealed-weapon arrest, biasing the officer before an encounter even begins. Or an individual getting a knock on the door from law enforcement, and being questioned or having their home searched, based on a false identification," the ACLU wrote in a blog post at the time.
Amazon's response to the ACLU's finding was that it had miscalibrated the settings, in particular interpreting the "confidence" levels the software displays.
The open letter picked up on this argument, as a similar criticism was levelled by Amazon towards the original paper. The signatories write that systems like Rekognition have to be tested in real-world scenarios, and that police forces may not use or even be trained to understand Rekognition's "confidence" ratings.
The letter cites a Gizmodo article in which a Washington County Sheriff's Office public information officer said that police there, "do not set nor [...] utilize a confidence threshold."
Amazon was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Business Insider.
- Financial inclusion made easy for India’s small merchants with Paytm’s pioneering QR codes and Soundbox
- A 24-year-old stock trader who made over $8 million in 2 years shares the 4 indicators he uses as his guides to buy and sell
- My fiancé and I picked out my engagement ring together before he proposed, and I don't regret missing out on the surprise
- Two Mukesh Ambani-owned companies are among India’s top 5 valuable brands
- TVS, Ather, Ola hike prices of electric two-wheelers as new subsidy norms kick in
- IKIO Lighting sets IPO price band at ₹270-285/share
- Royal Enfield sales rise 22% in May at 77,461 units
- GST collection rises 12% to ₹1.57 lakh crore in May | {
"date": "2023-06-01T12:36:42Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647810.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601110845-20230601140845-00342.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.960759162902832,
"token_count": 1065,
"url": "https://www.businessinsider.in/artificial-intelligence-experts-from-facebook-google-and-microsoft-called-on-amazon-not-to-sell-its-facial-recognition-software-to-police/articleshow/68721371.cms"
} |
20 THEATERS AND UNIVERSITIES NATIONWIDE WILL STAGE ONE-NIGHT READINGS OF “MY BODY NO CHOICE“
A RANGE OF ARENA ALUMS JOIN ARENA’S IMPRESSIVE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
WASHINGTON /PRNewswire/ — Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater today announced that Molly Smith’s final directorial venture before she steps down as Artistic Director—My Body No Choice—is going national.
Twenty (20) theaters and universities from across the United States, from Michigan to Montana, and from Hawai’i to New York, will stage their own readings of the eight, female-authored monologues around bodily autonomy and choice commissioned by the storied Washington, D.C., theater. Several local theater luminaries comprise the cast and creative team for the Arena Stage production, also announced today.
My Body No Choice is Smith‘s response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in July 2022. “I knew I had to make a theater piece in response to this horrifying decision,” said Smith. “It’s my final production as Arena’s Artistic Director, and setting it in a consciousness-raising space like women had in living rooms in the ’70s felt like the absolute right action to take. We all need to raise our consciousness together.
“I hope that by experiencing the artists bringing these powerful monologues around choice to full fruition, the audience will be empowered to talk about their own difficult choices. These include the choice to have (or not have) an abortion, the right to choose one’s body size, and the right to make a decision around when to end one’s life. Far too often, these are the stories women are afraid and ashamed to share, and with the Supreme Court’s recent decision, it’s time for women to lose that fear.
“As we worked on the production, I kept wondering what more we could do to help women tell their stories,” continued Smith. “So with the support of the writers, we started reaching out to theaters and universities across America, asking if they’d like to host their own readings of the play between October 21 and November 6. I was thrilled when the writers generously agreed to forgo their royalties during this time, so that the production is as accessible as possible.”
A list of current participants in the nationwide readings of My Body No Choice is below, as is the full cast and creative team for the Arena Stage production. My Body No Choice will run for just 18 performances in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle, from October 20 through November 6, in the run-up to the mid-term elections. Press night will be held on Thursday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. All tickets are priced at $18. General admission tickets are available now at arenastage.org/mybody.
As an important part of this production, Arena Stage also invites all women, trans, and non-binary individuals from all over the United States to share their stories about choices and their bodies, in videos of up to 2 minutes in length. Up to 18 videos will be showcased on Arena Stage’s digital media properties, extending the experience of My Body No Choice long after the lights have come down and the run has ended. Learn more and submit your story at arenastage.org/mybody.
The short stories are both fiction and non-fiction written by Lee Cataluna (Home of the Brave, Heart Strings), Fatima Dyfan (Woolly Mammoth Theatre New Work Fellow, Georgetown University’s for colored girls…), Lisa Loomer (Roe, Living Out), Dael Orlandersmith (Yellowman, Stoop Stories), Sarah Ruhl (Passion Play; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play), Mary Hall Surface (Perseus Bayou, The 51st State), V (formerly Eve Ensler) (The Vagina Monologues, In the Body of the World) and “Anonymous.”
Returning to Arena Stage are cast members Shanara Gabrielle (Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Junk), Joy Jones (August Wilson’s Seven Guitars, Jubilee) and Jennifer Mendenhall (Legacy of Light, Pygmalion).
Joining the cast in their Arena Stage debuts are Tony Award nominee Felicia P. Fields (Broadway’s The Color Purple), Tori Gomez (NextStop Theatre Company’s Little Women), Toni Rae Salmi (Hub Theatre’s American Spies and Other Homegrown Fables), Deidre Staples (Studio Theatre’s John Proctor is the Villain), and Dani Stoller (Olney Theatre’s The Joy That Carries You).
The creative team for My Body No Choice also includes Lighting Designer Catherine Girardi, Sound Designer Megumi Katayama, Casting Director Joseph Pinzon, Rehearsal Stage Manager Karen Currie, and Stage Manager Rachael Danielle Albert.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES (In alphabetical order)
Felicia P. Fields (Dael Orlandersmith’s Monologue) is an acclaimed actress, singer, performer, and creator whose career spans a plethora of credits from theaters around the globe, including the Goodman Theatre’s Crowns, Blues in the Night, Intimate Apparel, The Rose Tattoo, The Amen Corner, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, as well as A Christmas Carol at the first African American female to play The Ghost of Christmas Present. She has performed in Hairspray and the first cycle of the tour of Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Other credits include Nunsense, Sunset Boulevard, Swinging on a Star, Some Like It Hot, Richard II, It Ain’t Nothing But the Blues, Low Down Dirty Blues, A Civil War Christmas, Hot Mikado, Show Boat, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Dreamgirls, Little Shop of Horrors, Seven Guitars, and Hello, Dolly!. Ms. Fields earned a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Sofia in The Color Purple on Broadway and the first national tour. Her performance also earned her a 2006 Theatre World Award, a Clarence Derwent Award, two Broadway.com awards, an NAACP nomination, and a Denver Post Ovation Award. She has received a Black Theatre Alliance Award and nominations, many Jeff Award nominations, and the Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Sophisticated Ladies.
Shanara Gabrielle (Mary Hall Surface’s Monologue) is happy to be back working on this project that falls at the heart of her passion for art and activism. At Arena Stage, she has served as Artistic Associate, Associate Director on Enlightenment and Dear Jack, Dear Louise, and has appeared on stage in Junk, and numerous workshops. In DC, Shanara’s worked as an actor and director at Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Olney Theatre, Imagination Stage, Solas Nua, Taffety Punk, and more, as well as produced Working In DC with AFL-CIO on BLM Plaza. Across the country, Shanara appeared at Guthrie Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, St. Louis Rep, and many more. Webster Conservatory B.F.A., proud recipient of Princess Grace Foundation Award, and union member of AEA, SDC, SAG-AFTRA. Instagram: @shanaragabrielle www.shanaragabrielle.com
Tori Gomez (Lisa Loomer’s Monologue) is excited to be making her Arena Stage debut in My Body No Choice! She is a junior musical theatre major at The Catholic University of America. Most recent credits include Amy in Little Women (NextStop Theatre Company), Eve in Children of Eden (Catholic University), and Laertes in Hamlet (Catholic University). Tori would like to thank her friends, family, and teachers for all the love and support they’ve shown her in her life and career. She is honored to be a part of such an important project, and hopes you enjoy the show! Instagram: @tori.gom
Joy Jones (“Anonymous” Monologue) has previously been seen in Arena Stage’s Seven Guitars, Jubilee, A Raisin in the Sun, and Mary T & Lizzy K. Other DC-area credits include The Upstairs Department (Signature Theatre) and The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Belleville, and Invisible Man (Studio Theatre). Off-Broadway, she appeared in workshops at The Public and Playwrights Horizons. Her selected regional credits include Disgraced (Virginia Stage), Invisible Man (Huntington Theatre), Ruined and Tantalus (Denver Center), The Champion (TheatreSquared), and Pericles (PlayMakers Repertory). Her recent TV appearances are We Own This City, Blue Bloods, and Monsterland. Joy has an Acting MFA from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble for Invisible Man (Studio Theatre). Her film Dream Flight is in pre-production. Instagram: @joyjonesig thejoyjones.com
Jennifer Mendenhall (Sarah Ruhl’s Monologue) is a long time DC theater artist and a Woolly Mammoth company member since 1987. She has appeared at Round House Theatre, Mosaic Theater, Scena Theatre, Forum Theatre, Theater J, Studio Theatre, Theater Alliance, Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage, Humana Festival, Florida Stage, among others. #poolparty, her play about the history of discrimination in swimming pools, and a family denied membership at a community pool, was produced by Ally Theatre in 2018. As audio book narrator Kate Reading, she has recorded hundreds of books of all genres. Her awards include Helen Hayes, Theatre Lobby, Audie, Earphone, Publishers Weekly, American Library Association. www.katereadingaudiobooks.com
Toni Rae Salmi (Lee Cataluna’s Monologue) is making her Arena Stage debut. DC credits include American Spies and Other Homegrown Fables (Hub Theatre), Perfect Arrangement (Source Theatre Festival), The Spitfire Grill (Theater Alliance), The Tempest (Taffety Punk Theatre Company), and Junie B. Jones and A Little Monkey Business (Imagination Stage, Helen Hayes Award nomination). Directing credits include David Henry Hwang’s Bondage and Use All Available Doors by Tristan Willis (Pinky Swear Productions), and Measure for Measure (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company). Toni Rae has also worked with The Kennedy Center, Baltimore Center Stage, and Avant Bard Theatre. For Marci who chose to give me life, and Nora who chose to give me love.
Deidre Staples (Fatima Dyfan’s Monologue) is excited to make her Arena Stage debut. She last appeared as Nell Shaw in John Proctor is the Villain at Studio Theatre. Selected acting credits include: Daphne’s Dive at Signature Theatre (understudy); The Skin of Our Teeth at Everyman Theatre; Twelfth Night, The Crucible, and Around the World in 80 Days with the National Players, Tour 70; and The Wolves at Studio Theatre (understudy). She wrote and performed White-ish at the Atlas Intersections Festival, Nu Sass Productions, and the Aurora Theatre in Atlanta, GA. BFA, Howard University. deidrestaples.com
Dani Stoller (V’s Monologue) is a Brooklyn-born playwright and actor. My Body No Choice is her Arena Stage debut. Her previous DC acting credits include shows at the Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Keegan Theatre, Signature Theatre, 1st Stage, and The Kennedy Center. Her play Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes received its world premiere at Signature Theatre in 2019 and The Joy That Carries You, which Dani co-wrote with Awa Sal Secka, had its world premiere at the Olney Theatre Center in 2022. Her play Girlhood will be premiering this fall at Round House Theatre as part of its TPC Commission. Her play Just Great (an adaptation of The Great Gatsby) was recently published and is available through Playscripts.
Molly Smith (Conceiver and Director) has served as Arena Stage’s Artistic Director since 1998. Her 40 directing credits at Arena Stage include large-scale musicals, like Catch Me If You Can, Anything Goes, Disney’s Newsies, Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Cabaret, South Pacific; new plays, like Celia and Fidel, Sovereignty, The Originalist, Camp David, Legacy of Light, The Women of Brewster Place, How I Learned to Drive; and classics like Mother Courage and Her Children, A Moon for the Misbegotten, The Great White Hope, and All My Sons. Her directorial work has also been seen Off-Broadway at 59E59 in New York, Portland Center Stage, Canada’s Shaw Festival, The Court Theatre, The Old Globe, Asolo Repertory, Berkeley Repertory, Trinity Repertory, Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, Montreal’s Centaur Theatre and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska, which she founded and ran from 1979-1998. Molly has been a leader in new play development for over 40 years. She is a great believer in first, second and third productions of new work and has championed projects, including Dear Evan Hansen; Next to Normal; Passion Play, a cycle; and How I Learned to Drive. She led the re-invention of Arena Stage, focusing on the architecture and creation of the Mead Center for American Theater and positioning Arena Stage as a national center for American artists through its artistic programming. During her time with the company, Arena Stage has workshopped more than 100 productions, produced 39 world premieres, staged numerous second and third productions, and been an important part of nurturing nine projects that went on to have a life on Broadway. In 2014, Molly made her Broadway debut directing The Velocity of Autumn, following its critically acclaimed run at Arena Stage. She was awarded honorary doctorates from American University and Towson University. In 2018, she was honored as Person of the Year by the National Theatre Conference and inducted into the Washington DC Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was awarded the Director of Distinction in Cairo, Egypt, from the Academy of Arts. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she developed the concept for two online films, May 22, 2020 and The 51st State, overseeing the production direction as well as directing pieces within the films. She also spearheaded a variety of other new online content, including a weekly talk show Molly’s Salon, during the live performance hiatus.
Catherine Girardi (Lighting Designer) is a local D.C. designer, a proud former Lighting Fellow at Arena Stage, and has previously designed Our War, as well as assisting on many productions. Area credits include: Assassins and Eurydice (NextStop Theatre Company), Seussical (Imagination Stage), The Burn and Failure: A Love Story (The Hub Theatre), Smoky Mirrors and A Circus Carol (Sweet Spot Aerial Productions). Regional credits include The North Pool and The Complete History of Comedy abridged (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), A Christmas Carol, Tommy, Ain‘t Misbehavin’ (The Clarence Brown Theatre), Of Gravity and Light (Ballet Des Moines), Rex Wheeler’s Symphonic Dances and Tom Mattingly’s Figure in the Distance and Jahreszeiten (Richmond Ballet). Catherine holds an MFA from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Member of USA 829.
Megumi Katayama (Sound Designer) is making her Arena Stage debut! Her New York credits include Nosebleed (LCT 3), For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf (The Public), The Life (City Center Encores!), Our Brother’s Son (Signature), Generation Rise (Ping Chong and Company/New Victory). Regional credits include 72 Miles to Go… (Alley Theatre), Sister Act (Geva Theatre Center), Dinner and Cake, The Skin of Our Teeth, An Almost Holy Picture (Everyman Theatre), Pride and Prejudice (Long Wharf), El Huracán (Yale Rep/The Sol Project), Pass Over (Studio Theatre), Rooted (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Mary’s Wedding (Kansas City Rep), Chautauqua Theater Company, Skylight Music Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Dorset Theatre Festival, and more. MFA Yale School of Drama. Member of IATSE USA 829.
Joseph Pinzon (Casting Director) is the founder and creative producer of the contemporary circus company Short Round Productions and its award-winning show Filament. With over 25 years of performing experience, he has worked internationally with renowned companies such as Cirque Éloize, Compagnia Finzi Pasca, Cirque du Soleil, and The 7 Fingers. He holds an MS in Arts Leadership from USC, a BA in Psychology from UCLA, and graduated from the National Circus School in Montreal with a specialization in aerial techniques. He was the casting and resident director for Chamäleon Productions (Berlin) and Constellation Immersive (CAA’s experiential affiliate). He is also a member of the Creative & Independent Producer Alliance and a founding board member of the American Circus Alliance. You can see him causing chaos on season 6 of Nailed It! on Netflix, where (spoiler alert) he is a part of the series’ first three-way tie.
Karen Currie (Rehearsal Stage Manager) is thrilled to be making her Arena Stage debut. Other area credits include The Joy That Carries You, A.D. 16, Mary Stuart, Once, and In the Heights at Olney Theatre Center; Digging Up Dessa, OLIVERio, Mockingbird, and Orphie and the Book of Heroes at The Kennedy Center; Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes, Heisenberg, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Fix, Cabaret, Saturday Night, Sycamore Trees, and The Happy Time at Signature Theatre; As You Like It at Folger Theatre; and over 20 at Theater J including Trayf, The Christians, Another Way Home, G-d’s Honest Truth, Yentl, Freud’s Last Session, After the Revolution, The Whipping Man, and The Religion Thing. Her NYC credits include The Last Session with Spellbound Theatreworks. Karen holds an M.A. from American University.
Rachael Danielle Albert (Stage Manager) is excited to be stage managing Molly Smith’s final endeavor as Artistic Director at Arena Stage. Favorite credits include: American Prophet, Change Agent, Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Junk, Native Gardens, among others. Selected regional credits include: Hi, Are You Single, Fairview, Describe the Night, and Botticelli in the Fire (Woolly Mammoth); The Wolves (Studio Theatre); Seize the King, Up Here, and Ether Dome (La Jolla Playhouse); The Odd Couple, Sylvia, and Souvenir (New London Barn Playhouse); and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Stage 773). During quarantine, Rachael entered the brave new world of digital theatre, as the livestream stage manager for Amir Nizar Zuabi’s new play This Is Who I Am, produced by Woolly Mammoth and PlayCo, in partnership with The Guthrie, A.R.T., and OSF. Showcaller: ArchiteX. Founding member: Oakland Theater Project. MFA: University of California, San Diego. BFA: University of Michigan. Proud AEA member.
For full company biographies, please visit arenastage.org/mybody.
UNIVERSITIES/THEATERS PARTICIPATING IN MY BODY NO CHOICE NATIONWIDE READINGS
Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH)
Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, MI)
Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC)
The Departments of Theatre, Music, and Women’s and Gender Studies at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, have chosen to collaborate on the production of My Body No Choice in order to share this new work in our community and lift up the voices of women everywhere.
Frostburg State University (Frostburg, MD)
Montana State University (Livingston, MT)
“Emily Rasmuss and Tessa Welsch will present My Body No Choice in Bozeman, Montana at Montana State University. (MSU) because the stories tell the truth about what women experience, and the truth is our best defense against misinformed, religious-based assaults on our rights, our families, and our bodies.”
SUNY Geneseo (Geneseo, NY)
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (Manoa, HI): Saturday, October 22, at 3 p.m.
The Department of Theatre and Dance of the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, in cooperation with the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, will present a free reading of My Body No Choice with a cast of all current theatre students and alumnae. The co-directors of the piece, Drs. Sammie Choy and Lurana Donnels O’Malley, were invited to participate by playwright Lee Cataluna. The event will be held in the Art Auditorium of the UHM Campus. UHM, on the mokupuni (island) of O’ahu, is an indigenous space where the descendants of the original people are today identified as Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian). The contemporary quest for indigenous sovereignty is paralleled by women’s struggles against the oppression of their body autonomy. Indigenous voices and women’s voices must be heard right now.
Ballyhoo Theatre (Edmonds, WA): Tuesday, October 25, at 7:30 p.m.
We are Ballyhoo Theatre, in partnership with The Black Box at Edmonds College, in Edmonds, Washington. We are honored to tell these My Body My Choice stories that give us powerful insight into body autonomy, reproductive justice, the right to choose, and how to define and design ourselves in ways that empower us.
The Bridge Initiative and Ronin Theatre Company (Phoenix, AZ)
Eight theatre companies in the Phoenix, Arizona region, led by The Bridge Initiative and Ronin Theatre Company, are each taking one monologue for the event. It is imperative to talk about this issue—as of Sept 23rd abortion is illegal in this state—and being a women-led theatre company, it could not” be more mission central for The Bridge Initiative to host this empathy gymnasium.
Cactus Woman Productions (Nevada City, CA)
Cactus Woman and Paul Emery Live is happy to produce My Body No Choice in Nevada City CA at The historic Nevada Theater, the oldest continuously operating theater in California. We chose to do this work because many young lives hanging by a thread depend on the outcome of this election.”
Clocktower Players (Irvington, NY)
Fountain Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
Gateway Regional Arts Center (Mt. Sterling, KY)
Kentucky is one of the states at the center of the battle for women’s bodily autonomy. Because we are a “red” state, we believe the unheard voices of Appalachian women are as important as ever—the region is historically marginalized in terms of health access – and recent decisions make that access even more scarce—so it is time these stories are heard. There is more diversity of thought than one might consider at first glance, and this is the perfect opportunity to have conversations as a community on potentially divisive issues. An outright statewide constitutional ban on abortion is on the ballot this November in Kentucky, so these conversations are not just useful… they are critical. We will be hosting this event as a part of the Creative & Courageous Community Conversations Series. This offers audience members the chance to converse on topical questions after the performance.
Open Theater Project (Boston, MA)
The New Mexico Actors Lab (Santa Fe, NM): Saturday, October 22, at 2 p.m.
The New Mexico Actors Lab in Santa Fe, New Mexico, will be offering My Body No Choice as a free reading event. Our theater is committed to producing material with an emphasis on social justice and can think of no issue of greater concern that the stripping away of a woman’s right to choose and the other personal rights that may be threatened by an activist right-wing Supreme Court.
Radial Theater Project (Seattle, WA): Monday, October 24, at 7:30 p.m.
Radial Theater Project is a nomadic theater company in Seattle, WA. We’re presenting this reading of My Body No Choice to give voice to both the playwrights who’ve written the work and to the many actors and directors in our community who are impacted by the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Stewart Mann Woman Productions (Atlanta, GA) Saturday, October 22, at 3 p.m.
We are screen & stage actors/activists in Atlanta, as diverse as the writers & womyn in this piece, producing this premiere in the heart of our city, as a grassroots community event with the Red Light Cafe to support the We are screen & stage actors/activists in Atlanta, as diverse as the writers & womyn in this piece, producing this premiere in the heart of our city, as a grassroots community event with the Red Light Cafe to support the Atlanta’s Feminist Women’s Health Center, to create a call to action with the importance of this election, to stop the attack on women’s health & freedom, & to reclaim reproductive justice!
Upstairs at Midnight Theatre Project (Lexington, KY)
UP Theater Company (New York, NY): Saturday, November 5, at 7 p.m.
We are UP Theater Company, and we have been developing new work and serving Upper Manhattan for over a decade. We are honored to participate in this initiative because we believe that theater should confront the issues of the times, and there is no greater issue of our time than bodily autonomy. We also believe in the communal power of theater, both in a sense that we create communities and also that we are part of one. We are humbled to be sharing this experience with fellow theaters across the country.
My Body No Choice
Monologues by Lee Cataluna, Fatima Dyfan, Lisa Loomer, Dael Orlandersmith, Sarah Ruhl, Mary Hall Surface, V (formerly Eve Ensler) and “Anonymous”
Directed by Molly Smith
In the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle I October 20 – November 6, 2022
In June 2022, reproductive rights took a giant leap backwards when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the United States, we can drive when we turn 16, and vote when we turn 18. But we no longer have the bodily autonomy to make the choices that will impact us the most. In a nod to the symbolism of the number 18, tickets are priced at just $18, and there will be only 18 performances; a reminder to vote when you turn 18.
In My Body No Choice, Molly Smith’s final directorial venture for Arena Stage, eight of America’s most exciting female playwrights share what choice means to them, through the telling of fiction and nonfiction stories rooted in personal experience; theirs or a friend’s. Because this is a time when women need to tell their stories.
Support for My Body No Choice is provided by The Artistic Director Fund and Sue Henry and Carter Phillips.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
TICKETS: Tickets for My Body No Choice are $18, and seating is general admission. Tickets may be purchased online at arenastage.org, by phone at 202-488-3300 (Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00-8:00 p.m.), or in person at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C. (only on performance days, and only starting 90 minutes prior until curtain).
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday at 7 p.m. (no performance on October 25)
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Full Calendar: arenastage.org/tickets/calendar
SAFETY: Arena Stage requires that patrons, staff, and volunteers wear facial masks inside the Mead Center, unless actively eating or drinking, regardless of vaccination status. These conditions are subject to change, and Arena continues to consult with medical professionals, monitor government best practice recommendations, and engage in industry trainings to ensure the health and safety of our patrons, artists, and staff. For up-to-date information, visit arenastage.org/safety.
TRAVEL: Limited parking is available in Arena Stage’s on-site garage and the Public Parking Garage at 1101 Fourth Street, SW, one block from the Mead Center for American Theater, and ranges from $18-27. Please visit arenastage.org/transportation for information on transportation to, and parking around, the Mead Center, and call 202-488-3300 to purchase parking in advance.
For complete 2022/23 Season details, visit arenastage.org/season.
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacting the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its eighth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org
Connect with us:
SOURCE Arena Stage
Rod Washington: Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He also produces news and documentary video projects. Check out his podcast StoriesThisMoment at https://m3e.d71.myftpupload.com/stm-tncn-podcasts/ | {
"date": "2023-06-01T01:11:54Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647525.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601010402-20230601040402-00748.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9281070232391357,
"token_count": 6573,
"url": "https://tnc.network/arena-stages-my-body-no-choice-goes-national/"
} |
This is a past event.
The boundaries between the public and the private sphere are gradually fading away. This sometimes implies a reduction in the active participation of citizens, who are transformed into mere spectators of other lives and intimacies amplified through the media. In turn, the media are creating new spaces for personal and collective expression by making these porous relations between the public and the intimate more visible, with a facility that was previously unimaginable.
Intimacy has become the centre of public performances, with all of its accompanying contradictions and paradoxes. This talk explores the ways in which contemporary performance both questions and reformulates our experiences and definitions of intimacy. How do artistic practices question the boundaries between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the individual and the collective? In what way do the media, the social networks and leading a life that is geared towards a global world affect our understanding of the spaces of intimacy? What are the new places of our affections and emotions?
For two days, artists and researchers will investigate the relationship between performance, intimacy and the affections from both an aesthetic and a political and sociological point of view.
More informations here.
Institute of Art History, ICNOVA – Nova Institute of Communication, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of University Nova de Lisboa, CEIS20-UC – Centre of Interdisciplinary Studies from XX century, FLUC
Teatro da Garagem
Bruno Marques, Cláudia Madeira, Fernando Matos Oliveira, Giulia Lamoni, Liliana Coutinho
Ana Pais, Luís Trindade, Manuel Lisboa, Susana Mendes Silva
Program What Has Love Got To Do With It
18th February 2019
Liliana Coutinho, Cláudia Madeira, Giulia Lamoni
10:45 – 11:30
The public, the private and the political in the performative works of young artists and students of fine arts: a case study
Teresa Furtado, artist, assistant professor, Department of Visual Arts and Design, School of the Arts, University of Évora, CHAIA/UÉ
chair: Bruno Marques, IHA-FCSH, UNL
11:30 – 13:00
chair: Giulia Lamoni, IHA-FCSH, UNL
Talking about Love, Publicization of intimate matters in contemporary dance plays
Claire Vionnet, anthropologist
Down and Dirty: Ecosex intimacies and the appeal of the ‘personal’
Jon Cairns, Critical Studies Leader, BA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins
Ropework: performing fragility
Daniel Cardoso, FCSH NOVA University
Telma João Santos, University of Évora
13:00 – 14:00
14:00 – 14:45
Radio Intimacy – a poadcast
Ana Pais, researcher in performative arts, FCT postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Theater Studies, FLUL, dramaturgist, curator
14:45 – 16:15
chair: Margarida Brito Alves
How Intimacy Disrupts Power
Claire Schneider, independent curator in Buffalo, New York, and founder and director of C.S.1 Curatorial Projects
From private archive to public discourse: Karol Radziszewki’s Kisieland
Flóra Gadó, PhD candidate at Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, Budapest, Hungary
16:15 – 16:30
16:30 – 18:00
chair: Cláudia Madeira
Love + Other Pressing Issues: Barbara T. Smith’s 21st Century Odyssey, 1991-1993
Pietro Rigolo, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles
Proximity, emotions and technological mediation in Italian Performance Art of the origins
Francesca Gallo, Sapienza University of Rome
The Will of (Im) Possible: artistic lovers couples in the Art of Performance
Nelson Guerreiro, researcher
The Body Politic: the museum as a space of intimacy and action
Catherine Wood, senior curator of International art / Performance, TATE Modern
chair: Liliana Coutinho
19th February 2019
10:30 – 11:10
Tu & Eu | You & Me
Susana Mendes Silva, artist and assistant professor at University of Évora, DPAO, i2ADS, FBAUP
11:15 – 12:45
chair: Bruno Marques
All Together - Feedback Now - Total Access Inc. (on my personal Coca Cola memories and other globalised pop affects)
Paula Caspão, writer and artist, FCT postdoctoral research fellow, lecturer at the Centre for Theatre Studies (CET/FLUL - UL), associate researcher at the Institute for Contemporary History (IHC-UNL)
Intimacy and affectivity in cyberspace
Paula Varanda, PhD, researcher
The Act of Being ‘Together Alone’:Slow Cinema and the Re-Design of One’s Intimate Interaction with the Concept of Realness
Susana Bessa, writer
12:45 – 14:00
Reading (room 2)
Community, by Luiz Pacheco
Directed by: Ana Palma
With: Ana Palma, André Simões, Constança Carvalho Neto, Diogo Lopes and Rita Monteiro
Creation: Teatro da Garagem
14:45 – 16:15
chair: Fernando Matos Oliveira
On female desire in poetic autobiographies
Ana Lúcia M. de Marsillac, psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at IC Nova - FCSH/UNL
Paulo Jesus, psychologist, assistant professor of psychology at Portucalense University, researcher at the Philosophy Centre - UL
Woman standing in front of the mirror. An intimate practice-as-research project
Sol Garre, Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Madrid
16:15 – 16:30
16:30 – 18:00
chair: Liliana Coutinho
Agape and Anthropocene
António Contador, Institut Acte, University of Paris 1/CNRS, artist
Performing the ‘I Care’
Kathryn Lawson Hughes, Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Performative ‘Intraventions’ and Matters of Love, Care and Delay: Steps Towards Responsible ‘Worlding’
Alberto Altés Arlandis, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow / Chair of Methods and Analysis TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment - Architecture
Rabbya Nasser, artist, curator and teacher at NCA, Lahore, Pakistan
chair: Giulia Lamoni, IHA-FCSH, UNL
Abstracts What Has Love Got To Do With It
The Body Politic: the museum as a space of intimacy and action
Catherine Wood, Senior Curator of International Art / Performance, Tate Modern
Taking the example of Tania Bruguera’s 2018 commission for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, 10,148,451, I will discuss questions of value in relation to the institution of the art museum, through the lens of performance. Questions about care, intimacy, empathy are central to the journey that Bruguera’s practice represents, culminating in this work, and central to an attempt to critique the value system embodied by the museum.
Beginning with my experience of working as a curatorial assistant in the British Museum, and learning about the choreography of care around ancient artefacts, often displaced from cultural and ritual contexts, I take this formative experience as a kind of blueprint for the matrix of the museum and its values: material and human.
As a curator at Tate Modern specialising in performance, the imprint of that early experience and its relevance to the fundamental set-up of the Western art museum persists, and comes into often antagonistic dialogue with the attempt to commission, display and collect ‘live’ performance work, even – or especially – when it is entangled with practices in so-called traditional media of painting or sculpture.
I will talk about how an artist such as Tania Bruguera, emblematic as someone working with ‘performance’ today in an expanded practice, emerged from work grounded in an intimate form of body art practice and protest that set itself clearly against material practices in art (collecting, selling etc) and has moved towards working on the ‘social body’ in ways that transforms the institutional and its set-up; but always working from a located, emotional perspective.
Walter Mignolo, who coined the concept of ‘decolonial aesthetics’, has written of the significance of the body’s presence in art in terms that resonate with Bruguera’s self-staging, and institution-shaping: proposing the importance of delinking from certain principles of civilisation via a return to one’s own, located and delimited reality.
Intervening in and interrupting the human infrastructure of the institution, from this starting point located in the artist’s own body, its status as a ‘keeper’ of objects or a space for gathering is probed, tested, and extended.
Catherine Wood (United Kingdom) is Performance Senior Curator at Tate Modern and curator of Cuban artist Tania Bruguera’s installation (2018) at Turbine Hall. She was the curator of Robert Rauschenberg’s retrospective (2017) and the co-curator of the 2017 and the 2018 editions of the Live Exhibition in the Tanks annual programme, with Fujiko Nakaya and Isabel Lewis (2017), and Joan Jonas and Jumana Emil Abboud (2018). She was also curator of the Yvonne Rainer Dance Works exhibition (London, 2013), among others. She is the author of the books Yvonne Rainer: The Mind is a Muscle (2007) and Performance in Contemporary Art (2018). She writes regularly for catalogues and for publications such as Afterall, Artforum and Mousse.
Rabbya Naseer, artist, curator and teacher at NCA, Lahore, Pakistan
Performative Gestures explores the ways in which ‘Performance’ becomes a tool for reconfiguring the status and function of art from passivity to active agency and direct confrontation. Naseer is an interdisciplinary artist, whose practice is informed by her immediate environment, producing a material entity only as a by-product of her lived experiences. She will be sharing examples from her artistic, curatorial and research practice to examine; if Performance Art’s resistance to definitions and the challenges of archiving the undefined experience, helps make it something more than the sum of its component parts? How rethinking spatial relations between ‘art-object’, ‘artist’ and ‘viewer/participant’ are integral to the structure of producing experiential art? How interdisciplinary practice through a conscious blurring of distinct ions between ‘Art’ and ‘everyday life’, helps question clearly defined categories to broaden the concept of art and its affect? How such works examine the everyday (both private and public) as a domain in which social values are asserted and contested? How attention to ‘situations’ highlights the close relationship between ‘performance’ and processes of ‘social organization’? How this investigation and appropriation of specific lived ‘experiences’ helps with analyzing the relationship between the ‘real’ and the ‘representational’? And lastly, what is the role of the witness in order to explore the notions of truth, perception and intimacy in archiving the undefined experience.
Rabbya Naseer (Pakistan) is an artist, curator, teacher and art critic. Using performance as an instrument, her work deals with private and public ‘day-to-day’ as if it were a place where social values are declared and challenged. In Promises to Keep (2017), Naseer examined the use of the body in actions of self-representation by twelve Pakistani female artists from three different generations, and the way their works reveal their proactive involvement with sociopolitical issues.
Title: Radio Intimacy – a podcast
Author: Ana Pais, Researcher in Performative Arts, FCT Post-doctoral Fellow at Centro Estudos de Teatro – FLUL/Universidade de Lisboa, dramaturge and curator
Looking at performances premièred in Portugal between 2017 and 2019 – Happy Show, by Miguel Pereira, Tristeza in English from Spanish, by Sónia Baptista, Cinderella, de Lígia Soares, e Every Brilliant Thing, de Ivo Canelas –, I will examine the social, cultural and political dimensions of public feelings (or public affect) as well as how they influence our affective experience.
Formulated by Lauren Berlant (2011), the concept public feelings defines public spheres as words of affect, collectively generated and negotiated. Although we experience intimately our emotions and feelings, the private sphere is conditioned and shaped by economic, political and cultural forces, fueling desires and fantasies that circulate in repeated cultural narratives.
Why did those Portuguese artists chose to pick happiness, sadness, depression and romantic love in the above mentioned productions in the current Portuguese political and social situation? How does this reflect, reinforce or subvert a post-Troika context with a Left Wing coalition government and a President of the Republic called, even before he took office, the “president of affection”?
Ana Pais (Portugal) is a FCT Post-doctoral fellow at CET – Centro de Estudos de Teatro at the University of Lisbon/FLUL, dramaturge and curator. She is the author of Discourse of Complicité. Contemporary Dramaturgies (Colibri 2004) and Affective Rhythms in the Performing Arts (Colibri 2018) as well as editor of Performance na Esfera Pública (2017, Orfeu Negro) and its online version in English available at www.performativa.pt. She has worked as theatre critic in the most distinguished Portuguese newspapers (Público and Expresso), as a dramaturge in both theatre and dance projects in Portugal, and as curator of several discursive practices events, namely a one week event Projecto P!Performance in the Public Sphere, 2017).
Title: The public, the private and the political in the performative works of young artists and students of fine arts: a case study
Author: Teresa Furtado, artist, assistant professor in the Department of Visual Arts and Design of the School of Arts of the University of Évora, CHAIA/UÉ
This communication intends to emphasize the way in which the public and the private are treated at the present time by young artists and students of fine arts in their performative works, among others, in traditional or alternative spaces, in physical or digital platforms, that do not enclose the private in a box that nobody has access to. The refrain "the personal is political", which in the 1970s rallied attention to the fact that the inner sphere as much as the outer sphere is a space where power is exercised, namely the unequal power of the private relationship between woman and man, and which has been largely treated in performance since then, now takes on new forms in the current artistic field. This analysis, carried out from my speaking place as a teacher and researcher in the Department of Visual Arts and Design of the University of Évora School of Arts (UÉ), and in the Center of History of Art and Artistic Research of UÉ, intersects the visual arts, sociology and gender studies disciplines, with feminist, LGBTI and queer perspectives. Based on this knowledge, within the classroom, we created artistic projects in the form of exhibitions, performances and debates, presented to the academy and to the surrounding community, in a perspective of deconstruction of stereotypes and hierarchical gender dichotomies, seeking to contribute in a positive way for the social change in this area.
Teresa Veiga Furtado (Portugal) is an artist, assistant professor in the Department of Visual Arts and Design of the School of Arts of the University of Évora (CHAIA/UÉ), an integrated member of the Center for History of Art and Artistic Research of the UÉ and an associate member of the Interdisciplinary Center of the Nova School of Social Sciences and Humanities (CICS.NOVA / NOVA FCSH). Her areas of research are Art and Gender Studies. Graduated in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon, Master in Printmaking from the Royal College of Art in London and PhD in Sociology from NOVA FCSH with the thesis "Women's Art: Our Bodies, Ourselves. Body, Identity and Self-Determination in the Works of Videoartists Influenced by Feminisms". She was curator and organizer of several projects, among them the "Video and Gender" exhibition within the scope of the "Gender Trouble" cycle, at the Maria Matos Theatre, and the exhibition "Gender in Art. Body, Sexuality, Identity, Resistance", with Aida Rechena, at the The National Museum of Contemporary Art - Chiado.
Title: You & Me
Author: Susana Mendes Silva, Artist and Professor at Universidade de Évora, DPAO ,i2ADS, FBAUP
Art is always public, because it is always made for others.
But as a visual artist and a performer I am interested in the way we can appropriate intimacy mechanisms. How can I really address myself to you, instead of addressing to a heterogeneous audience?
Departing from my artistic practice I will talk about the notion of intimacy and the methodologies to build my artwork.
How can we activate those mechanisms to create situations where life entangles with work, to build affective and critical tools, and to be able to create spaces of free and egalitarian thinking?
The performative conference will be in English.
The participants will be invited to wear a blindfold for a few minutes.
Susana Mendes Silva (Portugal) is a visual artist and a performer. Her work incorporates elements of research and archival practice that leads to the creation of works whose historical and political references become visible as exhibitions, actions and performances that employ a wide variety of media. Her universe considers and reframes different social contexts without ever losing track of the individual's uniqueness. Her psychological intimacy and her voice are often the means for the diffusion and reception of poetic and political messages that call upon them. Susana studied Sculpture at FBAUL (Lisbon, PT), and in the MPhil/PhD Fine Art (Studio Based Research) at Goldsmiths College for which she was awarded a Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation grant. She has a PhD based in her practice — "Performance as an Intimate Encounter" — by the College of the Arts of the University of Coimbra. Susana is an Assistant Professor at the University of Évora in the Landscape Architecture BA and MA.
Reading of Comunidade
Room 2 – 19 Feb., 14h30
I extend my foot and touch with the heel a cheek of soft and warm flesh; I turn to the left side, with my back to the light of the lamp, and a calm and soft breath baffles me; I make a random gesture in the dark, and the hand, involuntary pincers of fingers, wrist, throbbing blood, descends on a warm naked breast or on a little baby's head, like a tuft of black feathers on the top of a bald head, the throbbing little fontanelle; we breath into each other's mouths, we exchange arms and legs, smells, sweat with each other, for each other, so cosy, so wrapped and entangled in the same heat as if our veins and arteries carried the same blood spinning, palpitating rhythmically, silently, of a an equal life-giving sap.
Technical and artistic information
Text Luiz Pacheco
Director Ana Palma
With Ana Palma, André Simões, Constança Carvalho Neto, Diogo Lopes e Rita Monteiro
Creation Teatro da Garagem
Partners Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Supported by Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, EGEAC, Junta de Freguesia de Santa Maria Maior
Financed by Governo de Portugal | Ministério da Cultura e Direção-Geral das Artes
Teatro da Garagem, a theatre company which celebrates 30 years of regular activity in 2019, dedicates its artistic work to research and experimentation, through the exploration of new forms of writing for theatre and new scenic forms that accompany it. Teatro da Garagem began its activity, as the name indicates, in a garage in the suburbs of Lisbon, a hybrid zone, of mixture of landscapes and references, that influenced in an indelible way the work of the Company and the writing of its playwright, director and artistic director, Carlos J. Pessoa. Teatro da Garagem´s itinerary is recognized by the national and international public, specialized critics, cultural institutions and government structures, adding to the project a responsibility to the local, national and international community. The Company's artistic and pedagogic project is, unequivocally, a Public Service project.
Since 2005/2006, Teatro da Garagem is the resident company at the Taborda Theater, at the invitation of EGEAC and the Lisbon City Council.
Title: Performative ‘Intraventions’ and Matters of Love, Care and Delay: Steps Towards Responsible ‘Worlding’
Author: Alberto Altés Arlandis, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow / Chair of Methods and Analysis
TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment – Architecture
As architects, artists, designers and thinkers, as inhabitants and makers of the worlds we live in, we need responsible practices that make us aware of the things we care about and the ways in which such care matters: the impact it has in the mattering of the world. Responsible practices need to contribute to increasing the sheer amount of care and love in/on the planet: non-cynical love and care are our tools and energies, intensities and attentions, to resist cynicism and toxic irresponsibility.
I will approach the interplays of matter/care, as nouns and verbs, understanding care as a doing, as a situated ethics and as a politics of architecture, to explore the fragile power of the anarchic share: an active listening, a generous gifting, an open encounter based on accepting we are not single beings, and carefully enduring the waiting of becoming-with others in/through an amphibian, constituting practice.
Alberto Altés Arlandis studied architecture and urban planning in Valladolid, Barcelona and Delft, and critical theory at the Independent Studies Program in Barcelona (MACBA). He now holds a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the Department of Architecture at TU Delft (NL), where he explores the relations of fragility, affinity and care, and the power of choreography, dance and love, to inform a sensitive and responsible approach to ‘worlding’ practices and pedagogy. He has been a guest lecturer at Konstfack in Stockholm (SE) and at the Academy of Landscape and Territorial Studies in Tromsø (NO). He was assistant professor at Umeå School of Architecture (2011-2017), where he co-founded and co-directed the Laboratory of Immediate Architectural Intervention; and a lecturer at the ETSAV School of Architecture in Barcelona (2006-2011), where he defended his PhD ‘Delaying the Image: Towards an Aesthetics of Encounter’.
Title : Agape and the Anthropocene
Author: António Contador, Artist, Institut Acte, Université Paris 1/CNRS
Starting from the notions of "anartist" (Duchamp), "un-artist" (Kaprow) and "artist-without-work" (Jouannais), I became interested in the wave of the “Goodbye Man” (Senhor do Adeus), problematising it as an artistic gesture, although it has never been claimed as such by himself. A communicability (Benjamin) based on extreme politeness is what enables the reading of this nod as an artistic borderline gesture. "Artistic gesture" because, like others validated by art history, the communicability on which it stands defies the limits of the ordinary. And "borderline", because it allows to think about the limits of the artistic practice based on the work.
In 2015, in the context of an artistic residency in the Hangar artistic research center in Lisbon, the same issue (the limits of art) and the same response (politeness) were the impetus for a project titled "Matérias Baixás” (Baixás Matter), which consisted in collecting, taking care of and putting back in place objects found on the streets or, according to the prism adopted, left at the mercy of a possible caretaker.
The politeness of the Goodbye Man and his nod, caring for "unowned" objects are branches of the same tree: the agape. Distinct from passionate love (eros) and love-friendship (philia), agape is not an obvious and natural feeling, nor is it a kind of basic care with the other. Implying a radical conversion of being and looking at the world, agape demands that you love yourself, so that everything that is external to you is loved in the same way. Therefore, the other (human, animal, vegetal, object) is nothing more than an opportunity to love.
Based on these two experiences (Goodbye Man and Baixás Matter), I propose to unveil an agape, free from its humanistic and theological desideratum (Saint Augustine), which enhances a communicability-world made artistic expression.
Antonio Contador lives and works in Paris. He left Vitry-sur-Seine (suburbs of Paris) in the early 1990s to settle in Lisbon and become a sociologist there. His work as a researcher in sociology focused on Portuguese black youth. The return to Paris (mid-2000) and the PhD in aesthetics at the University Paris 1 unveil new questions that are still under consideration: the limits (désœuvrement) of the human body and language, and of the artistic practice. His interest in the Goodbye man is a symptom of this. At the border between different practices - artist, curator, author and theoretician - his achievements have been seen and heard in France (Palais de Tokyo, Ricard Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Villa Arson, etc.) and abroad (Serralves in Porto, Wiels in Brussels, Museum of the Republic in Rio de Janeiro, National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest, among others).
Title: On female desire in poetic autobiographies
Authors: Ana Lúcia M. de Marsillac, Psychologist and Postdoc at IC Nova - FCSH/UNL and Paulo Jesus, Psychologist, Lecturer of Psychology at Portucalense University and researcher at the Philosophy Center of the University of Lisbon.
Poetic autobiographies articulate literary and visual autobiographies. They present themselves as ways of inhabiting and signifying incompleteness, in a dialogue with the other of the infinite and unknowable desire, revealing their daily life and their intimacy, breaking with the boundaries between the private and the public.
In an anachronistic encounter between three female artists who have developed autobiographies, Frida Kahlo, Sylvia Plath and Ana Casas Broda, we will pursue the undulations of desire in corporeality and female expressiveness, at the limits of borderline experiences of birth and mortality. The works of these artists construct fictions of the self and bring us closer to the concept of desire. We will attempt to analyse how the desire manifests itself in these poetics and to advance theoretically (with Freud, Winnicott and Lacan) in this field of intersection between intimacy, subjectivity and aesthetics.
Ana Lúcia M. de Marsillac - Psychologist (2000) (UFRGS/Brasil). Psychoanalyst, member of the Psychoanalytic Association of Porto Alegre (APPOA). Professor (2013) at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), in the Postgraduate Program in Psychology. She's currently doing a postdoctoral degree at IC Nova - FCSH/UNL (Portugal). PhD (2011) in Visual Arts - history, theory and criticism (UFRGS) and a Master's degree (2005) in Social and Institutional Psychology (UFRGS). Researcher in the fields of psychoanalysis, art and health, with publications in these areas. Since 2015, she's coordinator of the Research Laboratory of Psychoanalysis, Creative Processes and Political Interactions (UFSC/CNPQ). In 2018, she launched the book: "Aberturas Utópicas: arte, política e psicanálise", ed. Appris.
Paulo Jesus, MA in Psychology (2000, Coimbra University, Portugal, and Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium) and PhD in Philosophy (2006, EHESS, Paris, France), was a post-doc researcher at Columbia University and NYU (2007-08) and at CREA (Paris, 2009-10). His research projects focus mainly on the narrative construction of selfhood, autobiographical memory and personal identity, from a phenomenological, psychodynamic and cognitive perspective. He has been the PI of an interdisciplinary project titled “Poetics of selfhood: Memory, imagination, and narrativity” (funded by the Portuguese Ministry of Higher Education and Science). Presently he is lecturer of Psychology at Portucalense University and researcher at the Philosophy Center of the University of Lisbon (Portugal).
Title: How Intimacy Disrupts Power
Author: Claire Schneider, independent curator in Buffalo, New York and Founder and Director of C.S.1 Curatorial Projects
Artists are increasingly employing intimacy as a means of critiquing power structures. Sharon Hayes is performing one-person protests that oscillate between expressing the longing for a lover and the rage about war. Antonio Vega Macotela is grieving for, dancing with, and hugging relatives for those in prison. And much like Martin Luther King, they are using love as a means to change hearts for a political end. This sense of closeness is deployed like a virus to infect all kinds of institutions, often ones that were once progressive, but have become rigid or stale. The history of performance art has always been about intimate and often uncomfortable experiences, but now it is about using the power of vulnerability to create connection – human connection through shared emotion as opposed to via a hand-held device.
Claire Schneider is an independent curator in Buffalo, New York and Founder and Director of C.S.1 Curatorial Projects, a commissioner and producer of art projects in unexpected spaces. Currently, C.S.1 is leading Nick Cave PLENTY with Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, University at Buffalo and Buffalo Public Schools. In 2013, Schneider organized the traveling exhibition More Love: Art, Politics and Sharing since the 1990s for the Ackland Art Museum, UNC-Chapel Hill. Accompanied by a 240-page catalogue, More Love won an AAMC Award for Best Exhibition. Schneider was Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Albright-Knox, 1998-2008, and Senior Curator at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 2008-2010. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Schneider received her MA in art history from Williams College.
Title: Talking about Love, Publicization of intimate matters in contemporary dance plays
Authors: Claire Vionnet, anthropologist, Bern University
What happens when choreographers bring intimate topics on a theater stage? In this paper, I will discuss the publicization of intimacy, departing from European contemporary dance plays that figure love, sexuality, pornography and gender issues (Mette Ingvartsen, Doris Uhlich). This externalisation of the private sphere into the public area leads performers and audience to share an intimate experience. How does it affect performers’ bodies to embody such intimacies? And what does it mean for the audience to be invited to testimony the intimacy of others? These questions will allow us to discuss the notion of intimacy on a more conceptual dimension, etymologically and historically. I argue that since an intimate zone is present in every culture, the boundaries of this sphere are flexible and negotiable, also within a culture.
Claire Vionnet studied social sciences at the University of Lausanne. She wrote a PhD on the gesture in contemporary dance, combining dance studies, anthropology and dance practice. She conducted fieldwork among professional dance companies in Switzerland, taking part in the production of dance plays. To expand her theoretical frame, she collaborated with the Institute of dance and theater studies in Bern (Prof. C. Thurner) and the Institute of anthropology in Aberdeen (Prof. T. Ingold). She has also worked for/with the dance scene, as an outside eye in plays production, as a social researcher and as a meeting assistant. Her writing is on the Swiss dance scene (2015), working conditions of companies (2016), collaboration between art and anthropology (2016) and interpretation of plays (2017). In her actual postdoc, she explores the intimacy of the dancing body.
Title: Ropework: performing fragility
Authors: Daniel Cardoso, ECATI-ULHT / NOVA FCSH, and Telma João Santos, University of Évora, dancer and performance artist
We propose a performance piece where academic narrative, ropework, gender and maths join to create a transdisciplinary landscape and provoke debate on how the categorization of specific objects allows us to think about the importance of intersectional thought in every direction. The de-stigmatization of symbols-actions as ropework, proposing the displacement of the context, where the strength lies within fragility and the fragility is embedded in strength. This will allow us to explore how gender and emotions and processed in and through flesh and to see in what other ways the flesh can be deployed and (re)styled, and that restyling can contribute to a broadening of the intelligibility of differently gendered lives and experiences.
(performance’s sound by Gabriela Marramaque (Ergonoise))
Daniel Cardoso has a PhD in Communication Sciences, he teaches as an Assistant Professor at the ULHT and as a Guest Assistant Professor at the FCSH NOVA University. He does research on consensual non-monogamies, BDSM, gender and sexualities, especially around new media and cybercultures. He is an amateur photographer, rigger, performer, videographer and activist. His work is available at www.danielscardoso.net
Telma João Santos holds a PhD in Mathematics and a PhD in Arts, teaches at the University of Évora since 1999, is a researcher, focused on finding methodologies and relational models in artistic creation in restricted spaces as manifests, writes papers on journals as Performance Research, Liminalities, Leonardo, among others. Researches and documents several Portuguese dancers and performers’ artistic processes. www.telmajoaosantos.net
Title: From private archive to public discourse: Karol Radziszewki’s Kisieland
Author:Flóra Gadó, PhD candidate at Eötvös Loránd University – Faculty of Humanities, Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, Budapest, Hungary
In my talk I would like to present the project Kisieland (2009) by Polish artist, Karol Radziszewski, who often deals with untold and marginalized stories in his works. His starting point here is the private archive of Ryszard Kisiel who in the 80’s documented several queer performances in private apartments. In the most interesting parts of the film, Kisiel together with a young model, re-enact some of these events based on the archive photos. The project raises the following questions: how could we rethink the changes in the status of performance art from the private apartments in the socialist era until today’s museum shows? What can we learn from Kisiel’s archive which merges the notion of privacy, intimacy, non-binary genders and from Radziszewski’s project which puts the archive out into the public discourse? I would like to point out the role of the artist as activist through which the notion of intimacy and affection becomes a political tool.
Flóra Gadó (1989) is curator, art critic and Ph.D. researcher based in Budapest. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the Film, Media and Cultural Theory Department at Eötvös Loránd University. In her dissertation she examines the different kind of critical approaches and strategies that artists from the CEE region use when dealing with the past. Flóra Gadó has curated exhibitions in Hungary and the neighboring countries, such as Kisterem Gallery and Gallery 2B (Budapest), Tabačka Gallery (Košice) and Klubovna Gallery (Brno). From Fall 2018 she is a curator at Budapest Gallery, a contemporary art center in Hungary. She took part in several curatorial residency programs, like Meetfactory in Prague, or Generator in Rennes. She is the vice president of the Studio of Young Artists’ Association.
Title: Proximity, emotions and technological mediation in the Italian Performance Art of the origins
Author: Francesca Gallo, Sapienza University of Rome
This contribution is meant not only to put the focus on Italian artists’ performances, which have brought the themes of emotions and intimacy to the fore both in live exhibitions and in videorecorded and photographed actions, but also to reflect on the consequences of choosing one or the other medium, through Giuseppe Chiari, Ketty La Rocca, Michele Sambin works.
The artists focus on direct observers and employ video and photographic records to reach a wider audience and allow their work to survive beyond the hic et nunc. Photography, in fact, tends to freeze the instant and to build up a unique, ‘summary’ iconography whereas videotapes preserve those narrative elements often related to the autobiographical dimension of the performance. Paradoxically, however, it is photography that has extensively ensured greater visibility, penalizing those artists who have aimed at a more comprehensive and engaging record of their work by using videotapes.
Francesca Gallo ([email protected]), Ph.D., has taught Contemporary Art History at Sapienza University of Rome since 2011. She studies Italian Neo-avant-gardes – artists, critics, journals and exhibitions – with a specific focus on videoart and performance (“Ricerche di Storia dell’Arte”, respectively 2006 and 2014). She also wrote on Ketty La Rocca (Postmediabooks 2015; Biennale Donna 2018), Videogiornali by 10th Quadriennale of Rome (“L’Uomo nero” 2018), art in the social context (Raccontare la città contemporanea, A. Bertone-L. Piccioni eds., Rome-Marseille 2018). She devoted her Ph.D. research to the exhibition Les Immatériaux (Centre Pompidou 1985), about which she published several essays and a book (Rome 2008).
Title: Down and Dirty: Ecosex intimacies and the appeal of the ‘personal’
Author: Jon Cairns, Critical Studies Leader, BA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins
Annie Sprinkle and Elizabeth Stephens’s Ecosex practice makes an erotic appeal to embrace a new version of environmental politics. Their various ecosex activities flirt with the ridiculous but are serious about getting us into a freshly perverted relationship with the otherwise ordinary and familiar that is both politically and sexually embodied. They exhort us to get intimate with the earth, to get down and dirty, in a way that re-engages with ‘the personal is political’. Suggestive ‘eco-intimacies’ are modelled by them to forge new eco-aware subjectivities. But as they roll naked in soil during one of their shows, they seem to compost themselves, symbolically disaggregating themselves, in an entropic anderotic unforming. What might be composed out of the new aggregate? And what about my intimate engagement with them? How do I gauge the correct distance from my personal attachments while it permits criticalcloseness?
Jon Cairns is a senior lecturer in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, where he is Critical Studies Leader. Recent research has explored the ambivalence of affect, specifically in the context of the work of Adrian Howells, and Annie Sprinkle and Elizabeth Stephens. This forms part of a broader project on emotion, intimate interaction and the critical encounter with art. Earlier work has looked at questions of value in the context of recession, while previous collaborative practice has included online and curatorial work, centering on explorations of the fictive and the fabulatory.
Title: Performing the ‘I Care’
Author: Kathryn Lawson Hughes, Swansea College of Art - University of Wales Trinity Saint David
This performative presentation takes up art-critic and cultural theorist Jan Verwoert’s proposition, from his essay entitled ‘Exhaustion and Exuberance: Ways to Defy the Pressure to Perform’ (2017), that to perform in the key of ‘I care’ is to undermine and problematize the narrowing parameters of possibilities for agency, in present-day global cultural economies. Attuning our bodies and embodied actions into the key of ‘I care’, adopting care as a strategy and methodology for performance, enables us to tap into an exuberantly abundant resource of unconditional potentialities for agency; an agency activated in us, ‘both from and through the other’ (Verwoert 2017: 231). In turn, the performative space becomes the charged transitional site of affections and intimacies, the location for provocation and mediation, in which radical shifts can take place.
Kathryn Lawson Hughes is a PhD researcher at Swansea College of Art (Wales, UK), whose research is enabled by a European Social Fund scholarship (Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship II). Her performative practice is concerned with re-negotiating understandings of contemporary subjectivity, identity, and perceptions of movement and embodiment, in the post-digital age. As digital interfaces increasingly permeate our lives and understandings of embodiment, her practice seeks to nurture a space of negotiation, cultivating, through performative research methodologies, a lexicon, towards how we might better ‘speak’ our bodies in the current context of the contemporary ‘post-digital’ condition.
Title: The Will of (Im) Possible: artistic lovers couples in the Art of Performance
Author: Nelson Guerreiro, Researcher
This communication will explore the work of artistic couples, especially in the field of performance art, emphasizing aspects, dynamics, themes and issues, both in the private sphere and in the public sphere. We are interested in exploring the idiosyncrasies of some of artistic couples, real-life superheroes who defied the canons and reconfigured their world via relational self-modeling through the arts and above all performance, and in looking at how their work makes possible the creation of a fertile field of production of imaginaries based on love. This deep submersion in intimacy and in the creation of "artists-loves" will allow to highlight multiple themes, such as: romance out of parameters vs. traditional romance; eternal love stories vs. heartbreaks and their tragic biographies; love and disaffection, personal extension, passional and professional; jealousy and despair vs. acceptance and freedom; prohibitive social normativity and taboos, vulnerability, fragility, stupidity vs. vitality, rapture and wisdom in love; among others. We will see how these couples of artists work together to intentionally blur the boundaries of individual effort and of the ego, etc.
Nelson Guerreiro was, between 2004 and 2018, a professor at the Escola Superior de Artes e Design of Caldas da Rainha. From 2001, he turned to artistic creation: from this movement he developed several individual and collective projects in the fields of theatre, performance art and literature. From 2014, he formed with Filipa Brito the artistic duo Vaivém. They have developed a project on collecting in the Arts, titled "Private Collection", with Vasco Araújo as the first guest artist. This project seeks to explore public and private art collections, questioning their functional and subjective implications, but also their operability and display arrangement. At the moment, he researches and lectures on "The (Un)Format of the Performance-Conference as the Paradisiac Interstice between Thought and the Arts".
Title: All Together - Feedback Now - Total Access Inc. (on my personal Coca Cola memories and other globalised pop affects)
Author: Paula Caspão, writer and artist, postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer at the University of Lisbon (FCT), Centre for Theatre Studies (FLUL), associate researcher at the Institute for Contemporary History (IHC-UNL)
Take the image conveyed by the 1971 Coca Cola ad*. It epitomizes a formula that has been intensified with the Internet and its co-tech-products: get together, closer, (over)share, (hyper)socialise, intoxicate, let the magic operate, repeat, repeat, repeat. Satisfied with your toilet experience today? – is a question I recently read at an airport toilet, with ‘go to’: feedbacknowfrance.fr. The coercion to interconnect, to be on(-the-)line (Harney & Moten 2015), and express our most intimate experiences now falls us to the toilet. There is an omnipresent injunction to share one’s own and follow everybody else’s, only to feed the wealth and power of “those who control the platforms on which all of us create, consume, connect” (Taylor, 2014). We: all banking instances (Rogoff 2017). This proposal addresses the almost complete extinction of non-surveilled – non-monetized – spaces for intimate (personal and/or collective) engagement and expression.
Paula Caspão, Writer and artist, is a postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer at the University of Lisbon (FCT), Centre for Theatre Studies (FLUL), and an associate researcher at the Institute for Contemporary History (IHC-UNL). She holds a PhD in Philosophy (epistemology and aesthetics) from the University of Paris-10, and was a Visiting Scholar at the Performance Studies, New York University (2018). Her current research tackles the ecologies, poetics, and gestures implicated in the specific practices and (im)material labour that constitute the Museum, the Archive, and History making at large. Having worked extensively on procedures of contamination between choreographic, documental and theoretical practices, Paula has been presenting work across Europe, Australia, and the USA since 2005. She is the author of Relations On Paper (2013), editor of The Page As a Dancing Site (2014) and Pièces Assemblées (2017).
Title: Intimacy and affectivity in cyberspace / Intimidade e afectividade no ciberespaço
Author: Paula Varanda, PhD, Researcher
In the presence of a reality of emotions, knowledge and social interaction mediated and augmented by information and communication technologies, aesthetics and human-computer interaction become interested in understanding how affectivity and intimacy determine our engagement with digital-born artworks. For the latent work-events, that require the audience voluntary action to be actualized, the quality of the experience is critical. In this context, three artworks that I catalogue as new media performance, will be presented to demonstrate how they instigate multi-sensorial engagement and self and social awareness. Affect, as an embodied practice of judgement that asserts rightness to the image-based work, contributes to loving the experience and staying connected in an intimate exchange that converges public and private space.
Paula Varanda received her PhD award from Middlesex University in January 2016, with the thesis entitled “Dance performance in cyberspace – transfer and transformation”. Her writing and research, has focused in performing arts and cultural projects, and has been presented in conferences and published in books, newspapers and catalogues in Portugal and Europe. She has been dance critic for Público newspaper (2004-2016); artistic director of a dance for the community regional project in the southeast of Portugal (2008-2015); and was Director of the General Directorate for the Arts in the Ministry of Culture (2016-2018).
Title: Love + Other Pressing Issues: Barbara T. Smith’s 21st Century Odyssey, 1991-1993.
Author: Pietro Rigolo, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles
Barbara T. Smith (Pasadena, 1931) has been at the forefront of radical art in California for more than 50 years. Regarded as a pioneer of performance and feminist art in Los Angeles, her work has still to gain the attention it deserves outside of the region.
The 21st Century Odyssey is a durational performance made in collaboration with Roy Walford, Smith’s partner at that time. Walford, one of the participants in the Biosphere 2 experiment in Southern Arizona, spent two years inside the research facility, an ecological system completely independent from our planet. Meanwhile, Smith engaged in multiple travels around the world, during which she collaborated with local artists in performances, workshops and talks. For the whole duration of the piece, Smith documented her life on dozens of Hi8 videocassettes.
This work at its core has to do with the relationship between two radical individuals, who decided to challenge their own lives and feelings while facing crosscutting problematics of their time, such as ecology, the booming communication technology, and the raising global dimension of the art world.
Pietro Rigolo earned his PhD from Università degli Studi di Siena / Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane. In 2013 he joined the Getty Research Institute (GRI) as the subject expert in the team cataloging the Harald Szeemann archive. He is one of the editors of Selected Writings by Harald Szeemann (GRI 2018), the first English anthology of the curator’s writings, and one of the curators of Harald Szeemann: Museum of Obsessions, now on an international tour and opening on February 25th at Castello di Rivoli in Italy.
At the GRI he also worked on other contemporary art collections such as the Barbara T. Smith papers, the Maurice Tuchman papers, and the Margo Leavin Gallery records. His research focuses on modern and contemporary art, history of exhibitions and curatorial studies.
Title: Woman standing in front of the mirror. An intimate practice-as-research project
Author: Sol Garre, Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Madrid
Standing in front of a mirror is a performance that explores together with the audience the quality of attention and availability necessary to share our experience and sensitivity as human beings. Das Letzte, a short dance video performance will serve to present the elaboration process of the performance: a study of perception and the creative processes that regulate the behaviour and embodiment of the actor and her communication with the viewer. It explores the psychophysical processes that direct the presence and imagination of the actress on the stage as well as the openness, awareness and generosity necessary to tackle those processes.
Sol Garre trained as an actress in Spain and in the Michael Chekhov’s technique of acting since 1995. She is senior lecturer at the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Madrid in acting in physical theatre. Her research “Towards a Poetic Body: Michael Chekhov and the Psychophysiological Paradigm of Acting” was awarded an MA with Distinction in 2001 at Exeter University (UK). Her PhD further explored Chekhov’s teachings and techniques within the context of training professional actors in Spain (Practice-As-Research). She is member of MCE and collaborates in the International Training Program of this Association. Her research project A Certain Sense of Reality investigates actors’ processes of perceiving and imagining.
Title: The Act of Being ‘Together Alone’: Slow Cinema and the Re-Design of One’s Intimate Interaction with the Concept of Realness
Author: Susana Bessa, writer
With the arrival of late-modernity’s ‘emotional culture’, defining intimacy or what it is to be intimate is beyond strenuous. Many are the scholars that have long been exploring the willful abolition of privacy in the display of affectivity within a public realm. Sherry Turkle’s insightful ‘Alone Together’ is a case in point. In it, Turkle questions why we’ve chosen to clean up the frailties from our relationships, in view of capitalising our innate sensibility to be emotionally close to someone, both physically as well as cognitively. That said, in search of an emotional space in which a mirrored act of intimacy could be perpetuated, we look at the experience of boredom provoked by slow cinema, hoping that by disclosing social media’s induced inward identity crisis, we may find our way into re-discovering the notion of realness at intimacy’s core. Being together alone, instead of alone together.
Susana Bessa is a writer. After completing a BA in film, she went on to intern at the BBC in London, where she got her MA in Film and Screen Studies at Goldsmiths College with a dissertation that sees cinema, an act of excavating memory, the definition for the social concept of ‘saudade’. Her research themes include memory, archive, saudade, post-colonialism and time. She also studies the intersection between social media and cinema, more particularly film criticism, about which she presented a paper at GLITS Conference - End Games in 2017: “Film Criticism in the Post-Truth Era of Emotional Capitalism: Social Media and the Eradication of the Authoritative Mediator.” She’s written for The Rumpus, Photogénie, Mubi Notebook, among other publications. She’s currently based in Lisbon. | {
"date": "2019-03-19T17:39:29Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202003.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20190319163636-20190319184807-00041.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9179268479347229,
"token_count": 11614,
"url": "https://www.culturgest.pt/en/whats-on/what-has-love-got-do-it-performance-intimacy-affectivity/"
} |
I’ve been debating whether or not to write about politics on here. That’s remarkable for me, because it feels like all I do these days is talk about politics. I’m not drinking at the moment and the world we live in right now is so dark sometimes I can’t see what kind of place the next generation will inherit, if they inherit anything at all. And every time I open my mouth I piss somebody off.
I mentioned this before, but as a child I was always obsessively political. My parents were, in good Southern tradition, yellow dog democrats, the party of the working man, even though all them politicians are crooked. They were largely uninterested, and my mom still believes that the political world has been shitty before and it’ll be shitty again and we can’t let it personally destroy us. To an extent I have to say she might not be wrong, but not because right now isn’t the worst political period in decades, but because I think it’s so dark I can’t see through it, much less change it. And I remember ostracizing myself because poor people seemed to only care about dead babies and queers, two events that would literally never effect their lives, and rich people only cared about getting richer, regardless of how their labor force was struggling. But I guess I can’t keep my mouth shut when the city I might potentially move to in a year is overrun with white supremacists.
A relative confirmed that the Klan rally I mentioned in The Prologue actually happened. It was 2006. Not 1943 or the tumultuous 1980s—2006. It happened and it barely made the news. Maybe because nobody gave a shit if a bunch of racists in a town of less than six thousand people got together and was racist together. Our town was only 9% black, after all. But if we were being honest with ourselves they were, in fact, hating black people, but their primary concern was the tremendous influx of Hispanic immigrants. According to the 2010 census, my hometown is 36% Hispanic, and that’s probably only counting documented immigrants, which is a 125% increase from 2000. With such a huge influx in such a short period of time, the white natives felt the real and tangible fear of “losing jobs” to immigrants in a town where nearly 40% of the population lives well below the poverty line. This fear was best described by Brother Billy, a member of the Klan that marched on Franklin County that day, though the Times Daily paraphrased his comment that, “America is being invaded by a group of people who are taking jobs and taking over America illegally.”
I wish so dearly that I could inform them that the immigrants weren’t the problem, and they weren’t taking anybody’s jobs. They are cogs in the machinery of the New South Slave System, where rich white business people purposefully encouraged illegal immigration to decrease their labor costs. But I guess it has always been easier to blame the brown person before yourself, rather than the city that passed legislation to grant undocumented immigrants amnesty in the same year.
Charlottesville, Virginia stands at a critical place in national geography. The city is a little over two hours away from D.C., and while the population sits at a modest 47,000, it is by no means a rural, country town. I’m sure you’ve all read about the horrific atrocity that took place yesterday, and I don’t need to rehash the details. Some persecuted white boy that lived with his mama drove into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one and injuring plenty. And I won’t try to offer a reason for why it happened, what we can do to change it, and how we will move past this and people will stop hating so much. Those questions are above my pay grade. What I can say is that this problem clearly isn’t new, but seems to be making headlines now more than the recent past precisely because we’re in an administration that condones it and provides fodder for those white people’s fears. During the Klan rally in Franklin County in 2006, the Brothers, as I think they’re all called, handed out flyers to teenagers and invited them to a cross burning out in Vina later that day. It would be remiss to not point out that those teenagers are now in their late twenties.
I’ve tried to rationalize why conservatism has grasped the South by its cojones since Reagan. I’ve tried and failed to make sense of why the poor people, on Medicare and living in FHA housing, believe that Trump and the GOP are their salvation. On a surface level I do understand how a cop-loving rich man, two traits no self-respecting redneck would ever before approve of, became the leader of the free world. But I’ve also shouted to the top of my bourbon infused lungs at the insufferable milieu of intellectual, kale-drinking, yoga-going East Coast Liberals. I’ve tried to make y’all understand why it is that your pleas against discrimination toward non-binary genderqueer heteromantic identities and condemnation against ableist rhetorical microagressions are all falling on deaf ears. Trump’s camp masterfully knew how to appeal to the white working class, living in poverty, that cares about dead babies and just want their goddamn jobs back, and there are a lot more of those willing to vote white people than there are educated and pissed off young people willing to protest. I don’t like it. I never will. But until we, as liberals, learn to speak the fractured, pithy, buzzword-laden language of the poor man, we will be living in a world where Trump, and Charlottesville, and the Klan, happens.
I’m going to leave you with a quote from William Faulkner’s 1954 essay called “Mississippi,” if only to show you the self-aware duality, the pride and shame, of being a Southerner:
“Home again, his native land; he was born of it and his bones will sleep in it; loving it while hating some of it…But most of all he hated the intolerance and injustice: the lynching of Negroes not for the crimes they committed but because their skins were black… the inequality: the poor schools they had then when they had any, the hovels they had to live in unless they wanted to live outdoors: who could worship the white man’s God by not in the white man’s church; pay taxes in the white man’s courthouse but couldn’t vote in it or for it; working by the white man’s clock but having to take his pay by the white man’s counting…”
Hope I didn’t piss y’all off too much. Next week I’ll be posting a piece of Alabama folklore, and maybe delve into the conflicted feelings I got on This American Life’s S-Town Podcast. Please comment, as I suspect this post will generate some discussion, but also subscribe by email below to keep up with where I’m going, if you’re into that kind of thing. If you got strong words that you don’t want to share (I’m scoffing even thinking somebody would feel that way in this climate), feel free to email me at [email protected] | {
"date": "2018-03-17T12:19:49Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2018-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257645069.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20180317120247-20180317140247-00364.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9698073863983154,
"token_count": 1574,
"url": "https://snakeandtree.com/2017/08/13/trumplandia/"
} |
“So long as each one of us is more willing to trust another than to judge for himself, we never show any judgement in the matter of living, but always a blind trust, and a mistake that has been passed on from hand to hand finally involves us and works our destruction.”
The day of reckoning has come for the Left to bathe in the postmodern filth that it itself created.
Now, boys are girls when they decide they are and vice versa. It’s pure magic but also hard, empirically-driven science. Heteronormative denialism only serves as proof of one’s moral failings.
Subverting even the bare semblance of the original ideological commitments of feminism, so-called “trans activists” and their postmodern “allies” are rewriting the rules.
Women (i.e., females) are no longer the primary beneficiaries of feminism. Now, as SF woke Guardian columnist Rebecca Solnit puts it, “feminism is a subcategory of human rights advocacy, which means, sorry, you can’t be a feminist if you’re not for everyone’s human rights, notably other women’s rights.”
Bruce Jenner became a woman when he said so and when Vanity Fair put her on its cover with new pronoun instructions to the peasants on how she is to be addressed. Previously, she was a rich cis white man. Now she is a valiant of a persecuted minority on the march for progress.
Older generations referred to un-hip, old-fashioned relics of the past as “squares” in earlier times. Now, in place of “square,” the fashionable left derisively calls you some variation of “cis” + [insert personal insult] – as in, “cis scum.”
For many of us, the first time we were assigned the label of “cis” was utterly confusing. The term is to be found approximately nowhere in the medical or biological literature. It did not even exist until the 1990s when pioneering academics conjured the term out of their imaginations.
Since being slipped into the dictionary in 2015 by a compliant Oxford University, “cisgenderism” has become one of the hottest buzzwords in SJW word salads. Cisgender-bashing is lit on social media, as they say.
Exhibits A and B: Cis White Gays Disappoint Me Daily (Group description: “Seems like many gay white men are uninterested in tearing down systems of white supremacy and patriarchy.”) and I regret to inform you all that the cis are at it again! (Group description: “NO CIS MEN ALLOWED.”)
The intersectional sprinklings of anti-white and anti-male bread crumbs are offered to create multifactional, coalitional unity across identities – and to focus the hate firmly on the true Satan of Western imperialism: the straight, white, Christian male.
Being a cisgender male – and a white one at that — you are assumed to harbor a deep-seated and often subtly expressed hatred of transgender individuals (i.e., you are “transphobic”). This is because you are so uncool and so outdated.
Accordingly, society should swap you out for a neon-hair non-binary porkchop or — at a bare minimum – you need to get with the times (i.e., renounce and apologize for your cisgenderism and begin transitioning to your new life as a eunuch).
The simultaneous demands for special treatment via semantical engineering of new words woven out of whole cloth and total egalitarianism disorient the senses.
The self-contradiction also presents a crisis of conscience for the transgender activists. One the one hand, they insist on behalf of their alleged constituents (who did not elect them and who largely denounce them) that transgender people deserve full integration into the social fabric, all of the rights afforded to anyone else in a functioning society, and the same access to resources that anyone else might have – all reasonable conditions for living civilly in a civil society. In short, the activists insist on the “normalization” of transgenderism.
Being normal, or “square,” or “cisgender,” though, comes at a cost to social status as an object uniquely worthy of admiration and worship – for your bravery, for your perseverance, for your stunningness, for your slaying. Raaar, slay queen – hear you roar.
Snowflake and Safespace, two real non-binary “superheroes” that Marvel Comics was blackmailed into creating as a token of submission to the whims of the mob. Ironically, the most intense backlash came from SJWs themselves who ultimately got Snowflake and Safespace canceled.
Accordingly, on the other hand, transgender activists insist on being treated as if their discovery in nature were tantamount to finding some exotic new creature of mythology – intriguing in every way that the ho-hum, mundane “cis” creatures of the white world could never be. The trans cultural value is unfathomable and obviously unappreciated by the “cis” masses – that amorphous, vanilla blob of Middle American corn farmers and factory workers.
Bernie Mac’s prophetic words for trans activists: “You want all kind of set-asides. Special treatment ’cause you’re handicapped. You’re all the same.”
So… are transgenders fabulous entities who deserve their own special carve-outs on Mount Trans-Rushmore, or are they normal people trying to live normal lives?
The ultimate analytical error that one can make when assessing the state of the left’s political monologue with itself – an error that many within the feminist movement made — is the assumption that its ringleaders are acting in good faith.
Transgender activists do not rely on persuasion to achieve their objectives; instead, they rely on Orwellian language policing, semantical engineering, ostracization of dissenting voices, and, above all, on groupthink. The SJW ideological cult does not seek a consensus alone; they demand self-flagellating conformity to the group ethos.
Conformity is the sea that the SJWs swim in. Whoever taints their sacred sea with questions of truth or motive earns their contempt, a lesson that radical feminists have indeed received: “How pleasant is the sound of even bad music and bad motives when we are setting out to march against an enemy!”
Or, snap your fingers in unison. As the New York Times declared in its “cultural studies” piece, “Snapping Is the New Clapping.” | {
"date": "2021-07-25T00:12:42Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046151531.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20210724223025-20210725013025-00568.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9497174620628357,
"token_count": 1422,
"url": "https://www.thedailybell.com/all-articles/news-analysis/trans-remix-reinventing-the-feminist-wheel/"
} |
Nonbinary comics, a lesbian teen romance film, and more fill this week’s Good and Gay! From a Naya Rivera tribute at the GLAAD awards to a state lawmaker coming out on the floor, we’ve gathered the very best and most exciting queer news in one place for your reading pleasure. So, pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and let out a deep contented sigh. We’ve got the good news you crave!
GLAAD awards will include tribute to bisexual actor Naya Rivera
The cast of Glee will reunite at the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony, where they will be honoring Naya Rivera. Out bisexual actor Rivera, who played Glee’s Santana Lopez, died in July in a tragic boat accident. Cast members appearing include: Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Becca Tobin, and Jenna Ushkowitz. Hosted by Niecy Nash, the GLAAD awards recognizes and honors media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ community.
The 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards will air on YouTube on April 8 and will stream on Hulu afterward.
Star Wars highlights trans nonbinary Jedi twins
On Wednesday in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lucasfilm debuted a new cover for their comic Star Wars: The High Republic featuring two nonbinary characters. The cover appears on Instagram where the caption reads: “In honor of #TransDayOfVisibility we’re proud to unveil an exclusive cover highlighting Terec and Ceret, trans non-binary Jedi, currently featured in Marvel’s The High Republic comic. We support trans lives and we are passionate and committed to broadening our representation in a galaxy far far way.” Terec and Ceret made their first appearance in the second issue of the comic. Bond-twins from the planet Kotab, the two have a linked consciousness.
Nevada Assemblymember Sarah Peters comes out as pansexual
Nevada lawmaker Sarah Peters, a democrat, came out as pansexual during a floor speech in honor of LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week. “Today, as a pansexual, cisgender woman, I stand out for equity and remind us to be inclusive in our LGBT+ community as we work to make Nevada a more equitable place,” she said. “Homophobia, stigma, and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community continue to exist in the United States and can adversely impact health outcomes,” Peters continued. On Twitter, the Assemblymember wrote about the support she received online and her life experiences: “Being bisexual and pansexual comes with so much guilt and questioning. Am I queer enough? Am I gay enough? What if I end up heteronormative, am I straight? Y’all, we are all enough and worth celebrating!”
Lesbian romance One in a Thousand premieres at Neighboring Scenes festival
Lesbian teen romance One in a Thousand from Argentine director Clarisa Navas premieres at the virtual film festival Neighboring Scenes. The film follows Iris (Sofia Cabrera) as she learns more about the girl she has a crush on Renata (Ana Carolina Garcia). Set in a housing project in Northern Argentina, the film explores surveillance, slut-shaming, and queerness. Presented by Film at Lincoln Center and Cinema Tropical, the sixth edition of Neighboring Scenes is a “wide-ranging showcase of contemporary Latin American cinema featuring established filmmakers as well as fresh talent from the international festival scene.”
Neighborhing Scenes takes place now through April 12. Films are available in the U.S. and U.S. territories. | {
"date": "2021-07-24T01:44:44Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046150067.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20210724001211-20210724031211-00615.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.926713764667511,
"token_count": 794,
"url": "https://www.bellamediachannel.com/good-and-gay-nonbinary-comics-lesbian-teen-film-and-more/"
} |
Transitioning - the 'reason for the season'? Reflect on it... and rejoice...
Christmas is such a radical upsetting of so many supposed 'norms' that it really shouldn't need anyone to point out how extraordinarily 'queer' it is. Richness in poverty, light in the darkness, new life from the margins, wisdom with the outsiders, God's home among refugees: and all with such gorgeous elements as angels, a sparkling star, shiny gold, special perfume and healing oils. Above all, the core of the story is divinity transitioning into humanity, God becoming enfleshed in the evolving body of creation. After all that, what is male-female, female-male, or non-binary transition? - spiritually speaking, are they not other particular expressions of the gospel truths of incarnation, renewal and flourishing? How strange it is that some Christians have difficulty with gender diverse people! May God bless all seeking the fullness of authentic life and the transforming power of love.
(with thanks to enfleshed for the picture and inspiration)
Leave a Reply.
The Revd Dr Jo Inkpin: | {
"date": "2023-05-28T17:29:16Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644309.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528150639-20230528180639-00775.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.920086681842804,
"token_count": 256,
"url": "https://www.transspirit.org/blog/divine-transitioning-the-heart-of-christmas"
} |
Green MP Mike Morrice ‘disappointed with party infighting’ but has no plans to walk
Green Party MP Mike Morrice says he is « disappointed » by the infighting within his party, but he does not intend to sit in the House of Commons as an independent MP.
Morrice, who represents the riding of Kitchener Center in southern Ontario and was first elected in 2021, said in a statement to CBC News on Monday that he was focused on his constituents and that he planned to « continue to put them first ».
“While I am disappointed with the internal squabbles within the party, I still believe that it is as a Green MP that I am best placed to defend my constituency priorities and I have no intention of leaving the With the leadership contest underway and a slate of qualified candidates running, I am hopeful for the continued renewal of the party,” he said in a statement.
“The Green Party has challenges ahead, including resolving systemic issues to keep staff and volunteers safe, restoring financial stability and regaining the trust of members,” he added.
« With the existential threat of the climate crisis, I believe the party and the new leader should also focus on the issues that matter most to Canadians – we have no time to waste. »
Party chairman resigns
The party has faced infighting since before the 2021 federal election. Annamie Paul resigned as leader in the days after the election and cited internal party politics which included calls for a vote of confidence and leadership review during the campaign.
In December 2021, the party said it was looking for ways to cut costs to avoid insolvency, which potentially included closing its Ottawa headquarters.
Earlier this month, on September 3, at an online event hosted by the party, a presentation slide featuring interim leader Amita Kuttner misinterpreted the party leader, a group that includes MPs said. current, leadership candidates and Kuttner. Kuttner, 30, is non-binary and uses the pronounsils.
The « solidarity statement » dated September 6 said Kuttner was « deeply distressing » to the acting leader and party members and that it was « not a slip of the tongue ».
Kuttner’s bad sex « was just the latest in a number of similar patterns of behavior that Kuttner faced throughout his tenure, » the Sept. 6 statement said.
“When such incidents are repeated, they form a pattern of harassment that we, the co-signers, will not tolerate, regardless of intent,” the statement read. « This cannot happen again. »
The statement also said it appreciated the immediate apologies from Green Party Chair Lorraine Rekmans and leadership contest co-chair Natalie Odd and that they were not responsible for Kuttner’s mistake.
Then over the weekend, Rekmans announced that she was resigning from the party.
In the resignation letter, Rekmans, the party’s first indigenous chairwoman, described her tenure as party chairwoman as « turbulent ». She said she had hoped to help the party ‘rise from the ashes’ after the 2021 federal election and that at the start of the leadership race she felt challenged by the leadership candidates and the acting leader that her « governance as president had no effect. »
“I am sensitive to these criticisms which sound like accusations of failure,” Rekmans said.
« We were about to do something big. Now I see that, for me, the dream is dead. »
‘A pretty serious threat’
On Sunday, it was revealed that a staff member from Morrice’s office had sent a letter to the party’s federal council.
In the letter, Morrice and former leader and current MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands Elizabeth May warned that they were both “ready to leave the party and sit as independents” if the party chose to suspend the leadership race or shut down the party’s headquarters in Ottawa. May and Morrice’s letter said doing either « would cause irreversible damage to the party. »
Rekmans confirmed that several advisers received an email from Morrice’s staff and called it a « pretty serious threat. »
« I really think this is a serious breach of [party] rules,” Rekmans said.
All of this is taking place as the party searches for a new leader. There are six candidates, four of whom are running as dual candidates so they will co-lead the party if they win.
The leadership candidates are:
- Sarah Gabrielle Baron.
- Simon Gnocchini-Messier.
- May with Jonathan Pedneault.
- Anna Keenan and Chad Walcott.
In a joint statement Monday, Keenan and Walcott said an internal investigation into what happened to Kuttner must take place, that « our party needs to get its own house in order, » but they also want to « focus our energy on the external issues that matter to Canadians.”
In an interview, Pedneault said the Green Party is « much bigger than any of the leadership candidates, than any president, and then the two MPs. It’s full of members who have kept this party going. life through many crises ». | {
"date": "2023-06-05T03:17:25Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650620.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605021141-20230605051141-00584.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9723362922668457,
"token_count": 1114,
"url": "https://zomaloma.com/green-mp-mike-morrice-disappointed-with-party-infighting-but-has-no-plans-to-walk/"
} |
Our GeekGirlCon community is fantabulous! You love us so much that we have now sold out of one-day passes online. There may be a few left in stores – but call first to be sure there are. You can still get two day passes online and in stores, but hurry, passes are going fast.
Come celebrate and honor the legacy of women contributing to science and technology with a Keynote Presentation and Q&A with former NASA Astronaut Wendy Lawrence!
Wendy Lawrence earned a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in ocean engineering from MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). She was selected as an astronaut mission specialist in 1992 and worked at NASA for 14 years. Her technical assignments included serving as the Director of Operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia and as the astronaut office representative to the space station program for crew training, operations and support. She is a veteran of four shuttle missions (STS-67, 86, 91 and 114) and has logged over 50 days in space. Captain Lawrence is a retired naval aviator with 25 years of service. While stationed at HC-6 and HSL-30 Det ALFA, she made deployments to the North Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Kenya. She currently works part-time at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, informing the public about NASA’s spaceflight programs and participating in STEM education programs.
Captain Lawrence will share her experiences and insight of her time in space as well as the importance of STEM education, especially for girls . There will be time for a Q&A so bring your questions!
Then look to the future and celebrate the female geek with Seattle slam poets, Elisa and Rebecca!
Elisa Chavez and Rebecca Shay are spoken word poets living in Seattle, WA. Elisa represented Rain City Slam at the 2014 National Poetry Slam, which placed 7th overall out of 72 teams; Rebecca represented Seattle Poetry Slam, which placed 8th. Both are members of the Seattle Poetry Slam management team, which puts on a great show every week at Re-bar. They love nerdy things and have zero time for misogynistic nonsense; Rebecca has an adorable but terrifying cat.
Elisa and Rebecca will close the night with tales of sidekicks, spaceships, and coming to terms with cherishing and and identifying as a Geek Girl.
This event is free for GeekGirlCon’14 badge holders! This is an event you won’t want to miss!
GeekGirlCon is excited to announce the presence of featured contributor Susan Eisenberg at GeekGirlCon ‘14. Ms. Eisenberg is the voice of Wonder Woman on the Justice League animated series, and a nerdy role model. Her other geeky voice-acting credits include The Super Hero Squad (Power Princess), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Shaak-Ti), Jak II (Ashelin), Daxter (Taryn), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mass Effect 3, and Destiny.
And this year we’re lucky enough to have her join us for several of the con’s highlights!
What you haven’t heard about is the panels and programming we have coming to you for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)! One of GeekGirlCon’s goals as an organization is to encourage women and girls in these STEM fields, and we have quite a lineup at GeekGirlCon ‘14 to further our goals–and YOURS.
“Notable Women in Science” starts first thing in the morning on Saturday, October 11, at 10 a.m. in room 301. This panel highlights women in the history of science around the world, as well as discussing the role of women in science now. Adrienne Roehrich, GeekGirlCon’s own Manager of Editorial Services, is hosting this panel, and as a member of the Double X Science blog, she is the perfect person for this informative hour.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, you have a choice to make: “3D Printing 101” in room LL2, or “What’s New In Astronomy” in room 301. In 3D Printing 101, you’ll learn about this technical and creative field, and about 3D printers themselves from hosts Breanna Anderson and Ericka M. Johnson. “What’s New In Astronomy” is hosted by Drs. Nicole Gugliucci and Lisa Will, who have degrees in astronomy, physics, and astrophysics. This is not their first time with us – they guided us through plate tectonics, the making of moon craters, lunar phases (using Oreos!), and a physical model of our solar system at GeekGirlCon ‘13.
All you coders — and anyone who wants to know more about coding — head up to room 301 at 1 p.m. Saturday for “Lady Code Warriors: The Future is Coming!” This amazing group of female coders will tell you what working in their fields is like, and answer questions you have about joining them there. The FIRST Robotics Team 2930 Sonic Squirrels will also be presenting in room 303 at 1 p.m. Saturday, if you want to take a look at what this amazing team of teeangers is doing with robotics this year and into the future.
“Pathogens for Everyone?”, at 5 p.m. in room LL3, delves into diseases in the human body, and the role that Seattle Biomed, a local non-profit, plays in combating those diseases and more. Panelists Anja Ollodart, Sally Lyons-Abbott, Suzanne McDermott will steer you through these amazing and complex questions and issues.
If that isn’t enough to get your STEM juices flowing, head over to the GeekGirlConnnections room. There are tables representing tech companies from all over Western Washington, including F5 Networks, Amazon, ArenaNet, and Isilon Storage Divison/EMC. Seattle CoderDojo, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, and the Association for Women in Science are a few of the non-profit organizations who may benefit from your help, and show you how to parlay their amazing programs into benefits for your own lives. There are several tables aimed at getting you the education you need to pursue your goals in the Connections Room as well: Northeastern University – Seattle, Cornish College of the Arts, and the University of Washington Information School.
Room 204 is hosting the GeekGirlCon ‘14 Connections Programming, which you’ll see in your Program Book in the same grids as other convention programming. These panels are geared toward making connections in the working world, whether you’re looking for a job, or just looking to make new contacts in your field. There are even two Meetups happening — social time specific for Women in Tech at 5 p.m. Saturday, and Women in Science at 4 p.m. Sunday. Make contacts you need, or meet new friends!
Fall is in full swing! Check out some of these events to welcome in the changing of the season!
Thursday, October 2: Gender Diversity: Beyond the Binary (UW Seattle Campus, Chemistry Building 439) Gender Diversity: Beyond the Binary is a workshop about gender expressions and identities beyond those of male and female, including different gender expressions, common experiences of trans* and gender-nonconforming persons, and how to make public spaces more accessible to non-binary persons. Join us with QCenter staff Jen Self (PhD, MSW) and Jaimée Marsh (MSW), activists and educators dedicated to fighting oppression in all its forms. A free pizza lunch will be provided!”
Thursday, October 2:Burke Trivia Night at College Inn Pub From NW Science: “The Burke Museum presents a monthly pub quiz for science buffs, culture gurus, and museum lovers. Bring your friends to the College Inn Pub and test your knowledge of the natural world. Compete with other teams for drink vouchers and other prizes. Teams are limited to 6 players. Cost: $5 per team.”
Saturday, October 4:Ladies Night at Fantasium Comics From the website: “Fantasium Comics & Games will be hosting Ladies Night on Saturday, October 4th starting at 4pm. Join us for an evening filled with awesome vendors, awesome foods, awesome people, and an awesome silent auction! We will be raising money for the Pink Ink Fund to help those who have already fought breast cancer and for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to cure it in the future.”
Sunday, October 5:CroatiaFest From the website: “Seattle Center Festál presents CroatiaFest, Sunday, Oct. 5. Explore and experience the cultural roots and contemporary influences of Croatia through live performances, foods, hands-on activities, and a lively marketplace. Acclaimed dance ensembles and musicians, intricate costumes, art exhibits, tourist information and displays showcase Croatia’s rich past and dynamic present.”
Monday, October 6Open Mic Science: Dr. Phyllis Stabeno From the Treehouse Cafe: “Physical Oceanographer at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Co-leader of NOAA’s Ecosystems and Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (EcoFOCI). For the past 25 years, she has worked on physical oceanographic, climate and ecosystem projects in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and more recently, Chukchi Sea. Recently she has focused on climate change impacts on the subarctic seas around Alaska. She is the lead investigator in maintaining the biophysical mooring array in the Bering Sea. She is a Principle Investigator for the North Pacific Research Board sponsored Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Plan (BSIERP) project and NSF Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST) and has served on the Science Advisory Board for the BEST/BSIERP program since its inception. On October 6, she will give us a presentation on what the data from the long-term mooring tells us about the Bering Sea. These moorings have monitored important biological, chemical and physical properties of Bering Sea water for about 20 years.”
Thursday, October 9:Cornel West: “Rekindling ‘Black Prophetic Fire” From the website: “Trayvon Martin, the New Jim Crow, immigration reform, and an Obama presidency have brought up modern issues of race, equality, and the African American legacy. In his latest book, Union Theological Seminary’s Cornel West explores the phenomenon known as Black Prophetic Fire, offering an analysis of six well-respected African American leaders — Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., Ella Baker, Malcolm X, and Ida Wells-Barnett. By both praising and critically analyzing the actions of these influential figures, West takes them off the pedestal they were placed on so long ago. According to West, modern African American leaders are either incarcerated or, like President Obama, have been co-opted and “have no deep conviction.” His book asks where the radical, outspoken spirit — the “black prophetic fire” — of the 19th and 20th centuries disappeared to, and opens a door to potentially “rekindle” it. West is the bestselling author of Race Matters and Democracy Matters.”
Saturday, October 11 – Sunday, October 12:GeekGirlCon It’s our 4th year! Will you be joining us?
Monday, October 13:October Eastside Science Cafe ”’What Are We Buying When We Buy Organic?’ Cynnie Curl, School of Public Health, University of Washington”
Tuesday, October 14:October Tacoma Science Cafe ”’Microbes & Shellfish: Using Science to Reduce Seafood-borne Illness in our Local Water’ Dr. Rohinee Paranjpye, NOAA Fisheries
Saturday, October 18 – Sunday, October 19: TurkFest From the website: “Seattle Center Festal presents TurkFest, Oct. 18 and 19. Explore and experience the cultural roots and contemporary influences of Turkey through live performances, visual arts, hands-on activities, foods, games, an authentic Turkish tea house, and a lively marketplace. This enriching, engaging, and entertaining festival of friendship celebrates the multiple cultures that link modern Turkey to the East and West.”
Friday, October 24:GeekGirlCon Board Game Night at Wayward Coffeehouse From the Meetup page: “Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! No pressure though, you can just come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon game nights with our friends at Wayward? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge! Our group is inclusive and totally newbie-friendly. We play a wide range of modern board and card games as well as some classics. You might find King of Tokyo, Völuspá, Alien Frontiers,Locke & Key, Coup, Tokaido, The Resistance, Skull and Roses,Settlers of Catan, 7 Wonders, Toc Toc Woodman, FLUXX and many more! Bring a game with you or just bring yourself. Join GeekGirlCon staffers, make some new friends, play some games, and enjoy some delicious organic, fair trade, and shade-grown coffee. There are also local pastries and vegetarian/vegan treats, if you get hungry during all that gameplay.”
Friday, October 24:Science Friday Tour From Washington Life Science: “Learn more about medical research through Science Friday events at Benaroya Research Institute that include a light breakfast, conversation with a leading researcher and a lab tour led by scientists.”
Friday, October 24 – Saturday, November 1:Vox Fabuli Puppets and Kendra & Michael Hayes Present Stories for Bad Children Chapter 2 Vox Fabuli Puppets and Kendra & Michael Hayes team up once again to bring you Stories for Bad Children – Chapter 2, a cabaret-style show celebrating the darker paths of the fairy tale world. Stories for Bad Children – Chapter 2 plays at Hugo House, October 24 through November 1st, with a special show on Halloween. *Not intended for actual children. Recommended for patrons 15 years old and up.
Saturday, October 25: Watch the D&D Team marathon 25 hours of “Hoard of the Dragon Queen” From the Meetup page: “GeekGirlCon’s own Gaming Event Coordinator, Andy Munich has been graciously invited to participate in Wizards of the Coast’s 24-hour Dungeons & Dragons session during October 25-26, 2014! Why is this important? These folks are gathering together to raise money for Seattle Children’s Hospital. As a part of the Children’s Miracle Network of hospitals, SCH treats hundreds of children each year, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Their staff help kids and their families face challenges more harrowing than those found in the deepest dungeon. Andy set a modest goal as part of a greater team effort to raise $25,000 (roughly equivalent to a sack of 20 gold pieces). Andy’s part of the adventure begins at the stroke of midnight on the 26th. Dice will be rolled until they put an arrow in his knee! Tune in to watch the mayhem unfold live on the D&D Twitch TV channel and cheer him on (or pine for his ultimate destruction). If you would like to support Andy during this marathon, you can make a safe donation online today. You’ll be showing your support for heroes, both imagined and very, very real. Donations go directly to the hospital and they are tax-deductible. ALL proceeds go to help the kids at Seattle Children’s Hospital.”
Sunday, October 26:Neal Stephenson and Cory Doctorow with Ed Finn: Reigniting Society’s Ambition with Science Fiction From the website: “Advance tickets for this event have been sold out. A limited number of stand-by tickets will be available at the door starting at 7:15 pm. Author Neal Stephenson (Reamde, Snow Crash) laments our society’s loss of a key superpower — the ability to “Get Big Stuff Done.” He shoulders some of the blame, along with colleagues in the realms of science and speculative fiction, with what he calls a failure to supply “hieroglyphs”: “Asimovian robots, Heinleinian rocket ships, Gibsonian cyberspace… plausible, thought-out pictures of alternate realities in which… compelling innovation has taken place.” Project Hieroglyph brings together writers, artists, scientists, and new technologies in an effort to “reignite the iconic and optimistic visions” of the past, and the new anthology Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future features works from Stephenson, Cory Doctorow (Little Brother,Rapture of the Nerds) and others, to challenge people to think in terms of technology, creativity, and bold futures. They’ll appear in conversation with Ed Finn, one of Hieroglyph’s editors.”
If you have any geeky events you would like to see on Geek About Town, email [email protected]. Please note that we reserve the right to include or exclude events from our list.
GeekGirlCon is excited that Jamie Broadnax, the creator of and content producer for Black Girl Nerds, is coming to GeekGirlCon ‘14! Jamie was kind enough to spend some time to tell me more about Black Girl Nerds and her expectations of GeekGirlCon ‘14.
Why did you choose the name “Black Girl Nerds” for your website?
I chose that term because that’s what I used when I went to Google one night to look up if there are any websites for women of my ilk. So, at the time, nerd culture was getting really popular. And there were tv shows happening, web series happening, a lot of mainstream websites, and I thought there’s gotta be a website out there that are for women of color or black women in particularly that speak to the geek and nerd community. So I just typed in “Black Girl Nerds” seeing what would come up, and nothing came up. Part of it is really just almost selfish reasons why I chose that term. I wanted to put a print in cyberspace with “Black Girl Nerds” so that going forward when you do type it in Google, you will find that term. So that’s why I chose that term for the site.
For those unfamiliar with Black Girl Nerds, it is a website full of nerdy, bloggy content AND a podcast. The podcast recently took a summer hiatus and returned on a new carrier, TWiBnation. Why did that transition happen?
Elon James White, who is the founder of TWiB, TWiB is the acronym for “This Week in Blackness,” he had been following me for awhile and over the summer I got an email from him. He was very interested in the kind of content I was putting out, not only with my own podcast, but on social media. He really liked the Jem live-tweet that I do every week with our followers. It piqued his interest, and he’s trying to build sort of a big media station, the TWiBularity, where he’s bringing in other podcasters along with his flagship show, TWiB Prime, and really hoping to build a community among black podcasters, which I think is really awesome, especially in a media driven world where people of color’s content is marginalized significantly. Yeah, he emailed me. I was very excited, I was shocked, and flattered. He brought us on and introduced us to a larger audience that wasn’t familiar with Black Girl Nerds prior.
It totally is the 80s cartoon, Jem and the Holograms, which has kind of taken on a life of its own. So, yeah.
GeekGirlCon has obviously chosen the word “geek” and you have chosen the word “nerd.” How would you define each term, and in what ways do you see them intersecting?
Well, initially when I first started this site I didn’t even know that there was a difference. I always used those two terms interchangeably. So, it wasn’t until I started writing content about it that I decided to look further about the origins of each term, and found out that they actually are very different. So, not knowing that at first and using “geek” and “nerd” interchangeably on my site, I discovered that, you know what, there are differences. The “geek” term is for someone that is very interested in fandoms, they have maybe a very deep passion or you could even say an obsession with a particular fandom, or interest, hobby, industry, whatever you call it.
The term “nerd” really is more based off someone’s personality. Someone who may define themselves as being an introvert or someone who is a bookworm or things that are more in alignment with their own personality or their own sense of identity. That’s where I’ve come to learn where those two terms differ. And for Black Girl Nerds the term “nerd” was just a term used to define something in cyberspace, whether it be a geek site or a nerd site. Because I didn’t find anything in Google, I just stuck with that term “nerd.”
Do you think it is possible for people to be both a geek and a nerd?
I would say so. I consider myself to be a little bit of both because I have geek tendencies towards social media and online content. There’s various things I’m interested in, I love television and I geek out over my favorite tv shows. But then, I do have some nerd qualities about me where, I’m someone that I won’t really engage in a lot of social activities with people. I’d rather just be a homebody and a hermit, and I enjoy my solitude. And that kinda is in alignment with what some people would call a nerd, so, yes, you can be both. Absolutely.
Jamie Broadnax. Image courtesy of Black Girl Nerds.
Jamie will be on two panels at GeekGirlCon ‘14: “Feminist Community Building 101” and “Curious About Comics, We’ve Got You Covered.” What do you hope to do on those panels? What do you hope to convey, in general on the panels, and with your specific participation on them?
Well, first of all, I’m going to be very nervous because I’ve never done a panel. It will be a daunting experience for me.
But, what I hope to convey is really giving a perspective of a subculture within a subculture that really hasn’t been represented. I hope that people will get some perspective and understand why Black Girl Nerds is an important community, why geek communities of color are very important, why these niche spaces are created. That they’re not meant to be divisive or exclusive, but it’s really to help empower women that feel like they don’t have a sense of identity anywhere else. And that they can have a safe space where they can express their identity, embrace themselves, and also connect and build relationships with other women that understand their experience, that understand their cause. I hope that the panels that I’m on will be able to convey that very clearly.
The other panel that I’m on about getting started in comics, I hope that I can help folks that are getting their start. Because there’s a lot of women that are a part of my community that are just getting started in comics. I started reading comics when I was 10 years old and I stopped into my teens, late teens. And I started picking up comics within the last few years. So, in a sense, I’m kind of with everybody else who’s just getting started, I’m getting started again so I can help kind of get people on the right track of where to get started and not to feel intimidated, and where you can go, what websites are good for you to look at that kind of content. So, yeah, I hope I can give some really good feedback for folks.
I started reading comics in my teens, when I had funds to spend on whatever I wanted. I read X-Men because I really liked all the women in it, and how much they were strong female characters and vulnerable female characters and all of it. But I stopped in college when I didn’t have time or funds. I tried to start in again a few years ago, but it is almost overwhelming at this point. I feel like it was easier in the 90s when I was reading them.
It was. I guess, it was easier back then because that’s all you had to do, that’s all the time you had to do was just sit and read comics. And, gosh, if I had a job or if I had an opportunity to just read comics all day, I would love it. It would be the best thing in the world. I find that now I have to sneak it into my schedule when I get a chance. And usually it’s not a whole lot of time I can spend on it. But, I really love the nostalgia of reading through — I’m actually reading comics I read when I was a kid. I went out and bought like 50 issues of Excalibur , which I mentioned on the show, and I’ll mention it at GeekGirlCon. That is the perfect comic book.
I loved – Rachel was my favorite.
Yes, Rachel Summers was awesome. I loved Kitty Pryde, Shadowcat. And what I loved so much about Excalibur was the women outnumbered the men on the roster. You had Rachel Summers, Kitty Pryde, and Meggan. And there were only two guys, Captain Britain and Nightcrawler. And you had Lockheed and Widget, which they weren’t human. Even the very first issue, the women villains. They had a lot of women villains. Women superheroes, villains all in this issue, which is what really turned me on to the whole series at the time, was just very inspiring as a young girl. I didn’t read a whole lot of guy-driven issues like Batman and Superman. I was reading titles like Excalibur and X-Men because X-Men had a lot of female superheroines in it. So, that’s what really struck me.
Black Girl Nerds has a dozen or so contributors. Are any of your cohorts also attending GeekGirlCon ‘14?
Yes, Ashlee Blackwell, she’s pretty much like my sister blogger at this point. She’s the copy editor and she’s also contributed several pieces to Black Girl Nerds. She has her own website called Graveyard Shift Sisters. We were both featured in an article by The Root recently. She will be at GeekGirlCon speaking as well on “Not so Strange Appetites: Woman and the Horror Fandom.” She’ll be on that panel. She’ll be there so it’ll be good to be able to see her again. And we’re going to do New York Super Week on the 4th of October. So that’s the week before GeekGirlCon that we’ll be there. And we’ll be doing a live podcast from the event. And she’ll be there along with another co-host Latanya Barrett. So very exciting.
So then, what are you most excited about for GeekGirlCon ‘14?
I’m excited, first of all, to attend this event. Last year on the Black Girl Nerds podcast we actually did a live podcast. Two of your attendees, Rachel Brody and Jaz, both of them were at GeekGirlCon and they told us about the events. We went over some of the various panels that were going on. I was just really excited about what this convention had to offer. And I looked at the different kinds of panels that they had and I was so jealous. I was like “I wanna go there next year!” and she was like “Maybe you will be there next year and you should definitely be on a panel when you go.” So, yeah, it’s awesome to now a year later be able to do many of the things I was talking about and discussing on the podcast a year prior. So, I’m excited about meeting a lot of the panelists. I’m excited about meeting a lot of the attendees, and seeing an environment and a space that’s so women and female-empowered. I don’t think I’ve had that experience before at a con. So I look forward to seeing that part of GeekGirlCon.
What’s on the horizon for Black Girl Nerds?
What is on the horizon for us is really what I’m doing now with the two events that are happening in October. I really would like to see Black Girl Nerds being represented at more conventions. To be able to meet with fans, to be able to have meet-ups. So that’s really what I’d like to do, to go all around the country and just connect with people. There’s a lot of folks do want to have the opportunity to see Black Girl Nerds at their local city. That’s really sort of the next goal. I don’t have this structured, strategic plan of action of what I plan to do with Black Girl Nerds ‘cause I look at things in a really natural, organic sort of way. Whatever happens, happens. And that’s what’s happened with both of these events. They just happened to happen back-to-back in October. [laughs] It’s not something I searched for, it just happened. That’s just the way I kind of live my life right now. I just live it day by day and keep doing what I’m doing. Cause obviously people have found interest in it, the community’s growing. So, I’m not gonna stop what I’m doing to try to focus on other areas of trying to create something new or something different. I’ll just keep cultivating Black Girl Nerds as much as I can. Whatever opportunities happen, then I’m ready for them.
One thing we always ask at GeekGirlCon is what are you geeking out about right now?
So, I’m geeking out over a lot of great TV shows. As I mentioned before I’m a huge TV geek, so I’m watching The Strain, which is amazing. I need to get the Guillermo del Toro books, though because I heard the books are even better, which usually that’s the case. I’m excited for Walking Dead coming back, and very excited for season 3 of Arrow, and all of the new comic shows coming out with The Flash and Gotham. Really excited for what’s happening in tv. For comic book geeks out there, it’s really a dream. I’m gonna give Agents of Shield another whirl. I actually have not been a fan of Agents of Shield. And I know a lot of folks out there are like “No, it’s a really good show!” but I’m gonna give it another shot and check them out. They’ve brought in some new cast. I really love Lucy Lawless. Big fan of hers. I really like to see what she’s going to bring to this new season. And I’m looking forward to seeing Netflix with Agent Carter coming out. You know, these female empowered shows. Then Supergirl is going to have her own show so it’s exciting. It’s a really great time, even if you’re not a comic book geek, even if you’re someone who’s just now getting into comics. This is a perfect time. This is a really perfect time.
As far as outside of TV, with comic books, I got to reading on the Storm series. And that’s just awesome. So for women of color and black women to see Storm having her own comic book this is the perfect time for women to see themselves, for black women to see themselves, and to be able to embrace diversity in nerd culture. It’s an awesome thing to see.
We look forward to seeing you at GeekGirlCon ‘14, Jamie!
And we look forward to seeing you at GeekGirlCon ‘14, too! What are you most excited for at GeekGirlCon ‘14?
Written by GeekGirlConnections Manager Susie Rantz.
Did you know: In communities with a higher percentage of women working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), high school girls are as likely as boys to take physics (and sometimes more likely)? Yet, women comprised just 28 percent of science and engineering workers in 2010.
Did you know: Up to 80 percent of jobs are landed through networking? Connecting with mentors can be a great boost for your career.
Did you know: Since our first convention in 2011, GeekGirlCon has been committed to drawing attention to these disparities? Last year, we introduced the GeekGirlConnections Program as a way to help elevate STEM career opportunities for women. The program was such a hit, we are continuing it for GeekGirlCon ‘14.
GeekGirlConnections is dedicated to providing career mentorship and networking opportunities for women and girls. The program aims to help connect women with professionals in their desired career fields, as well as encourage women and girls to pursue their passions, develop leadership skills, and enter careers where women are currently underrepresented.
Join us at the GeekGirlCONcert Saturday night for a jam-packed variety of awesome geeky musical talent! Our annual GeekGirlCONcert brings the best of music and musical comedy to you, and this year, there is something for everyone in this lineup of returning favorites and brand new talent.
Details and cheat codes:
Date: Saturday, October 11
Where: GeekGirlCon’ 14 at The Conference Center at WSCC, Room 301/302
The Doubleclicks are a nationally-touring, Billboard charting nerd band with a cello, a meowing cat keyboard, and songs about dinosaurs, Cats & Netflix, space and Dungeons and Dragons. Their YouTube videos boast over 2 million views and have been featured on BoingBoing, Kotaku, the Huffington Post, and on NPR shows “Live Wire” “All Things Acoustic” and “State of Wonder.” Find out more.
Sammus is an upstate New York-based rap artist and producer with Congolese and Ivorian family roots. Since joining NuBlack Music Group in early 2012, she has released two albums, a collaborative EP with nerdcore MC Random aka Mega Ran, a beat tape, and a Kickstarter-funded Metroid EP. Her production is characterized by uniquely chopped samples, and video game-like synths. She has been called the “rap Aisha Tyler” (MTV Iggy) because her smart lyrics often draw on her love of gaming. When she’s not rapping, she moonlights as a PhD student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Thundering Asteroids! is a nerd punk band from Portland, Oregon performing for the first time at GeekGirlCon! They have been beating the Kobayashi Maru with over-caffeinated power chords since 2009. With topics ranging from sexy lamps to goblin kings and from superheroes to kill screens, their geek badges are proudly emblazoned on their sleeves. Minn and the boys crank the D10 to 11 as they rocket through space leaving a trail of video game cartridges and blown speakers in their space wake. | {
"date": "2020-04-10T06:40:20Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371886991.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20200410043735-20200410074235-00475.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9567113518714905,
"token_count": 7701,
"url": "https://geekgirlcon.com/tag/geekgirlcon-14/page/2/"
} |
TransWork at the Trans Wellness Conference!
The Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference (PTWC), a program of the Mazzoni Center, is taking place from August 2 through August 4th, 2018, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.
TransWork will be staffing an informational table at the Conference to let local members of the transgender and non-binary community learn more about the program as we continue its development. Stop by!
Now in its seventeenth year, the Conference proudly offers a space for trans people and our allies, families, and providers to come together to re-envision what health and wellness means for trans people. Further, PTWC recognizes that accessible and quality healthcare is an integral part of self-determining our bodies and identities in the larger world. As much as possible, PTWC strives to ensure that the conference addresses the diverse needs of all people who identify as trans or beyond the binary gender system, as well as our partners, families, and allies. | {
"date": "2020-04-03T11:06:28Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370510846.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20200403092656-20200403122656-00041.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9542620182037354,
"token_count": 203,
"url": "https://transwork.org/events/trans-wellness-conference"
} |
World media applauded when Canadian Women’s Football team won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, especially elated about Quinn, an out non-binary and trans player in the team.
But at the same time, countless women of colour, especially black women, were slammed by mostly white players to get tested to prove they were women because their natural testosterone levels were “too high.”
Former Polish sprinter Marcin Urbaś wanted Namibian sprinter Christine Mboma to take a gender test because, according to Marcin, Christine “ran so fast.”
Marcin said, “She (Christine Mboma) has the parameters of an 18-year-old boy. At that age, my PB (Personal Best) was 22.01, and she has done it in 21.97 in Tokyo.”
Indian-American non-binary and transfeminine activist, performance artist, poet, and a Stanford graduate at the top of their class, Alok Vaid-Menon uses their poetry and fashion to mock the frivolity of this gender binary.
Talking about Indiana’s Bathroom Bill on The Man Enough podcast, Alok argues how unjust and “eugenics” based the law is. The Bathroom Bill, according to Gay Nation, classifies “someone with XX chromosomes to use the men’s bathrooms, or for someone with “at least one Y chromosome” to use the women’s bathrooms” a misdemeanor.
Alok says that this emphasis on biology is a “smokescreen. [...] This is eugenics. Because what eugenics does is it uses the rhetoric of science to justify political and social choices of inequality.”
Alok’s activism aligns with the United Nations’ Reduced Inequalities and Partnerships Sustainable Development Goals.
As Alok talks extensively in their book and on podcast interviews, just 2021 saw a dangerous number of anti-LGBTQ laws passed throughout the world. Hungary “banning the depiction of homosexuality” to people under 18, and America passing more than 17 laws discriminating against the queer community, and blocking safe access to reproductive healthcare.
These laws put tremendous pressure on already marginalized communities. Under the guidelines outlined by the Reduced Inequalities and Partnerships Sustainable Development Goals, global institutions need to create safer and more accessible communities for all netizens, especially for the ones hit hardest by the ongoing COVID pandemic.
That’s why breaking through the gender binaries and creating a community that acknowledges and respects the basic fundamental rights of all people is vital.
“Sexism is not science. Homophobia and transphobia are not science. In fact, science says that gender and sex are human constructions, are ways of aggregating the messy distribution of being a body into socially ordained categories as a way to make political claims,” says Alok Vaid-Menon in the Man Enough podcast.
Even biologists across the world argue that this binary distinction is not factual. People have a complicated expression of genes.
“Yet just like gender isn’t binary, our biology isn’t binary either: it, too, exists on a spectrum.” - Liza Brusman, Molecular Biology, University of Colorado.
To challenge this rigid binary, Alok uses their fashion to be hypervisible in a society that relishes on disappearing, using brute force and systemic unjust laws, the ones who do not fit into the category of male or female.
Talking about gendered clothing, Alok gives a brief history lesson at The Business of Fashion. They explain that in the 20th century, the “Three Article Law” forced people to wear at least articles of clothing “associated with our assigned gender otherwise risk being thrown in jail.”
Rather than fighting this fight with violence, Alok wants people to use radical compassion. They want to rephrase the conversation around trans-rights with the question, “are you ready to heal?”
Alok wants people to understand the transformative and liberating power of art.
Alok, in an interview with Shivani Persad, says “What I learned was that in art we can name the things that we aren't allowed to say anywhere else. There was something so thrilling and transformative about that, it made life worth living.”
Alok believes that people who are violent against trans and non-binary people need to be compassionate with themselves.
In their book, Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok narrates an incident at a grocery store. A man asked them “Why do you dress like that?” and after a few moments, walked a bit closer to Alok and said, “It’s just that . . . I used to wear skirts and dresses when I was younger.”
When Alok asked them why did that person stop wearing dresses, that person was left speechless.
Alok then asks the reader, “How do you express pain when you can’t even locate the wound?”
While discussing this incident in The Man Enough Podcast, Alok adds, “You don't even have a language to articulate a wound. So you don't even know that you are hurting and that you are bleeding.”
“(O)ur siblinghood is about survival. Every time I’m feeling impossible, I reach out to my trans family. And we inhabit that pain together. It doesn’t make it go away, but it certainly makes it more bearable,” says Alok Vaid-Menon in an interview with Vogue India.
Alok talks about the lack of safe spaces and lack of understanding and compassion in people in their poem Funeral at the Kommune India Spoken Fest 2019.
“They rather put us on a drag show and laugh at us than listen to us. We are most acceptable when we are entertaining you and not educating you,” says Alok Vaid-Menon in the Man Enough podcast.
Alok often posts edited images of themselves on Instagram, wearing clothes that show their body hair. They add comments of people asking them to shave, some even commenting “if you shave...u will look like women.”
Read Alok’s book, Beyond the Gender Binary to understand the gender binary and learn about the overwhelming support for a gender spectrum from the scientific community.
Visit Alok’s website to read their blog posts and poetry highlighting their experiences as a brown transfeminine non-binary person.
Check out The Trevor Project to find countless ways to help LGBTQ people. | {
"date": "2023-05-31T18:29:54Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647409.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20230531182033-20230531212033-00407.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9499287605285645,
"token_count": 1387,
"url": "https://www.artshelp.com/transforming-communities-with-radical-compassion-and-genderless-fashion-alok-vaid-menon/"
} |
TENI are seeking non-binary people to complete their survey which will highlight the priorities of this under-researched group of people
TENI are teaming up with non-binary community activists to find out more about those who identify as non-binary in Ireland.
TENI are running a survey which hopes to gather information about non-binary people such as their priorities and the issues that they would like to be addressed.
In a statement, TENI highlighted their interest in the area saying that “very little research” has been carried out in Ireland about the specific needs of those who do not identify clearly either the male and female gender.
“There is very little research in Ireland about the needs of non-binary people and we want to change that,” TENI explained.
“The best way to do this is by asking you what is important to you as a non-binary person. By answering this survey, you will help inform the work that we do to promote rights, access to services and legal recognition.
The survey is open to anyone who identifies as non-binary, and should take between five and fifteen minutes to complete.
What is Non-Binary?
In the statement, TENI elaborate on what non-binary means.
“Non-Binary means identifying as either having a gender which is in between or beyond the two categories ‘man’ and ‘woman’, as fluctuating between ‘man’, ‘woman’ or other genders, or as having no gender, either permanently or some of the time.”
The survey was designed by the Non-Binary Organising Committee, a group of non-binary activists convened by TENI from across Ireland.
The survey looked to research carried out by the Scottish Transgender Alliance for inspiration.
To take part in the survey click here.
In the Youth Issue of GCN, Jarlath Gregory interviewed young non-binary people about their experiences, the challenges they face, whether the LGBT community know enough about them and more. | {
"date": "2017-03-23T20:04:14Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2017-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218187206.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212947-00494-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9744126200675964,
"token_count": 435,
"url": "http://theoutmost.com/news/teni-survey-seeks-non-binary/"
} |
This Week: Bike the Vote, Rational Transit, City Trivia
Here is a list of events this week.
- Monday/tonight! Bike the Vote, Yes on L. Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition on Valencia Street during the afternoon commute to talk to fellow cyclists about Prop L. Monday/tonight, Oct. 24, 4-6 p.m. Valencia and 20th Street, S.F.
- Wednesday MTC Executive Committee. The committee will hear an update on progress towards creating a Regional Network Management Business Case for rationalizing fares and schedules on the Bay Area’s disparate transit systems. Sign up to comment and Seamless Bay Area will notify you when the relevant agenda items are up, so you don’t have to watch the whole meeting. Wednesday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Zoom link.
- Wednesday Bike the Vote, Yes on L. Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition on Valencia Street during the afternoon commute to talk to fellow people who bike about Prop L. Wednesday, Oct. 26, 4-6 p.m. Valencia and 15th Street, S.F.
- Thursday City Trivia Night. Bring a team for a night of urban trivia at one of SPUR’s favorite Mission District watering holes. Thursday, Oct. 27, 7-8:30 p.m. Standard Deviant Brewing, 280 14th Street, S.F.
- Friday Woman and Non-Binary Morning Ride. Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for a socially distanced bike ride for women & nonbinary cyclists. Friday, Oct. 28, 7:15-8:45 a.m. McLaren Lodge, 501 Stanyan Street, S.F.
- Saturday Urban Cycling 101. Join Bike East Bay and learn basic rules of the road, how to equip your bicycle, fit your helmet, avoid bike theft, ride after dark, and prevent common crashes. This is a two-hour, indoor workshop for adults and teens, no bike required. Saturday, Oct. 29, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. 200 Civic Plaza (Community Room), Dublin Library, Dublin.
- Saturday Spooky Spokes Bike Ride. Join this Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition bike parade from Central Park to the Bay Meadows development and back. Costumes welcome, lights recommended. After the ride they’ll have a social hour at Fieldwork Brewing Co. Saturday, Oct. 29, 5:45 p.m.-7:15 p.m. Meet at the Giraffe Statute in Central Park, 5th Ave and Laurel Street, San Mateo.
Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line. | {
"date": "2023-05-29T21:32:30Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644913.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529205037-20230529235037-00610.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9013210535049438,
"token_count": 557,
"url": "https://sf.streetsblog.org/2022/10/24/this-week-bike-the-vote-rational-transit-city-trivia/"
} |
As a writer who covers sexual health, I get a lot of incredibly personal e-mails about my period – or rather, how other people imagine it.
One PR person representing a menstrual relief product began an e-mail with a picture of a woman lying in a pile of blood and tears and the words: “If you’re anything like me, this is you once a month.”
“Have you ever had cramps so severe you wanted to cry but were stuck at work?” reads another.
“Let’s be honest, periods are anything but fun,” another says. “Between worrying about when it’s coming, to watching your eating habits spiral out of control, to getting super emotional, to worrying that everyone around you can also smell that funk.”
Since these people probably assume based on my name and/or Twitter photo that I identify as a woman and have a vagina, it probably never crosses their minds that I don’t really have a period.
And since they’ve presumed that periods leave everyone emotional messes, it would probably also surprise them that on the rare occasions when I do get mine, I don’t experience any symptoms other than blood coming out of my vagina.
Then, there are the period-positive brands, which are a little better. But they often have their own set of assumptions.
My period, under their philosophy, is what makes me a woman, connects me to other women and Mother Earth, and supplies my “feminine” intuition, creativity, and fluidity.
A lot of these ideas are meant to empower women. A lot of them probably do – for some. But as a non-binary person who only menstruates a few times a year for unknown reasons, I’m excluded from this magical sisterhood.
And I don’t want to be a part of it.
We can feel good about our bodies, our periods, and our a/genders without resorting to essentialist, cissexist notions about menstruation.
Here are some things we need to stop saying about periods in the name of empowerment because they disempower many of us.
1. ‘Periods Make You a Woman’
Let’s clear this up once and for all: Getting your period does not make you a woman.
Trans men get periods. Non-binary people get periods. Children get periods. And they don’t suddenly become adults when they start.
Telling kids who have just started their periods that they’re becoming women is meant to be comforting, but it’s actually disempowering – because it conveys that the thing that defines their very identity is out of their control.
When you tell a child, “You’re a woman now,” what you’re telling them is “You don’t get to say who you are.”
You’re telling them, “Society will decide who you are based on this one thing your body does, whether you like it or not.”
It’s already scary to be a child going through puberty, since your body is doing things you didn’t give it permission to do – especially if what your body does is associated with a gender you don’t identify with.
The consolation in all of this should be that your body’s changes don’t have to mean anything. Breasts don’t have to be feminine. Beards don’t have to be masculine. You can sport these characteristics however you want and make them yours, and what other people think of them is not objective reality.
Woman doesn’t have any one definition, and we shouldn’t be trying to define it for anyone else.
2. ‘Periods Bind Women Together’
In addition to claiming all people with periods are women, people sometimes claim all women have periods – and, therefore, all women have a special bond.
When deciding how much of a bond I have with someone, I ask myself questions like “How caring are they?” and “How much have we been through together?” and “Can they geek out about feminist theory with me?”
What does not cross my mind is, “Does blood come out of their vagina with the same frequency as mine?”
Sure, periods give you something to talk about. But saying that they connect everyone with them is a stretch. They’re certainly not a feasible basis for a friendship, let alone a “sisterhood,” as is commonly stated. (Plus, the observation that they “sync up” among friends, which is commonly cited to support this statement, might be false.)
The idea that periods bind women together makes womanhood into an exclusive club. Only cis women can be in it, and women like me who don’t have periods, for whatever reason, also can’t join.
Are trans women less womanly because they don’t get periods? Only if you subscribe to the false idea that your gender is based on what’s between your legs.
What about a cis woman on continuous birth control? Is she less connected to other women because she’s made the valid choice to suppress her cycle?
What about a cis woman that had a hysterectomy? Is she less connected to other women because her uterus was removed?
After you look at all the different ways people may or may not menstruate, the logic behind the imaginary sisterhood of menstruation starts to crumble.
When we say periods are something that all women have in common, we’re defining woman as “someone with a period.” And, again, it’s not our business to define anyone else’s a/gender.
3. ‘Periods Make You Feminine – Like Mother Earth’
Since periods are associated with females, people project a shit ton of “feminine” qualities onto them. They’re said to embody women’s ever-changing, earthly, emotional, and intuitive nature.
I’ve seen this a lot in marketing for period trackers and other menstrual products. Our periods are deemed the source of our adaptability, our creativity, and our nurturing.
If you’re an adaptable, creative, nurturing person, and your period reminds you of that, that’s awesome.
But it’s also subjective. And the notion that it’s objective is based on harmful stereotypes.
Since ancient times, women have been deemed the more bodily gender, and their periods have been used as evidence of this. Aristotle believed that fathers provided children’s souls and menstrual blood gave babies physical form. (You can read more about this in Susan Bordo’s Unbearable Weight.)
These ideas have been used to justify sexism. To this day, while men are seen as fit to indulge in the life of the mind, women are viewed as limited by their bodies. Periods and the connected process of childbirth are commonly cited in arguments against putting women in power.
The logic behind this position is that since we’re more connected to our bodies and nature, we’re less fit for activities that involve the mind and human-made things like governments and offices. (These are all false dichotomies, by the way, but they shape how we think.)
Connecting periods with Mother Nature and other feminine concepts also invalidates people with periods who don’t identify as women – and women who don’t identify with those particular traits.
Telling someone their period makes them a woman or telling them their period makes them feminine takes away their power to decide who they are.
4. ‘Everyone Relates to the Struggles of PMS’
As the pitches that flood my inbox demonstrate, painful and distressing periods are normalized. Being comfortable in your body all month long is considered unlikely, if not impossible.
That would probably explain why people with the serious reproductive disorder endometriosis don’t seek help for four years on average.
Severe discomfort during your period is, in fact, often a sign of a disorder like endometriosis or premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Like pain during sex, the normalization of pain during menstruation stops people from taking the measures necessary to stay comfortable.
The expectation that periods should be unbearable contributes to the stereotype that having a vagina is an experience that simply comes with pain. This contributes to misogyny and leaves people with vaginas feeling destined for unpleasant experiences throughout their lives.
The notion that all people with periods suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) also gets used to invalidate us. People cite PMS as a reason women are supposedly irrational, volatile, and incapable of working.
Other times, PMS is discussed in a “wink-wink” sort of way among people with periods in the interest of sympathizing or establishing camaraderie, but it only contributes to these invalidating ideas.
A few years ago, after ending a two-year relationship, a song my ex used to play for me came on in a Starbucks. “I just started crying in a Starbucks because our song is playing,” I texted my roommate.
“Ugh, periods,” she responded. She’d seen me bring home tampons earlier.
But I wasn’t crying because I had my period. I was crying because I was heartbroken. Even if I were someone who experienced menstrual mood swings, my text made that obvious.
Instead of the support I was seeking in getting over my ex, I was offered a response with no useful implications.
I’m not saying nobody experiences emotional changes throughout their cycles. But the same way it’s invalidating to tell those people their struggles are in their heads, it’s invalidating to tell people their unrelated issues are a hormonal byproduct with no basis in reality.
5. ‘Periods Should Be Celebrated’
I’m all about finding ways to be grateful for our bodies, and there are a lot of cool things about menstruation, like its ability to reassure you that you’re not pregnant and to help you get pregnant if you want to.
But just as we shouldn’t tell people to love their bodies, even though that’s an aspiration for many of us, we shouldn’t tell people to love their periods.
Telling people how to feel detracts from their autonomy and can veer into the forced positivity we already impose on women.
Plus, telling people to celebrate their periods invalidates the distress many feel around menstruation.
Trans men and non-binary people can experience dysphoria when they’re reminded that their bodies do something stereotypically associated with women. And people with medical conditions that make their periods difficult have understandable reasons not to be happy during that time.
It’s important to know we can think about periods outside the negativity patriarchy assigns them. But once we know this, we can then choose how we conceive of our own bodies based on what feels true to our own experience.
A lot of feminists aren’t going to like what I’ve just written. I’ve taken away from some trendy feminist statements.
Instead of being told what our periods mean and then being told to celebrate those things whether we relate to them or not, we should have the power to decide what our periods – and everything our bodies do – mean to us and voice however we feel about them.
And as poetic as moon cycles and synchronized bleeding are, we can experience a beautiful connection to nature and other people regardless of what are bodies do.
Suzannah Weiss is a Contributing Writer for Everyday Feminism. She is a New York-based writer whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Salon, Seventeen, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, Bustle, and more. She holds degrees in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Modern Culture and Media, and Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University. You can follow her on Twitter @suzannahweiss. Read her articles here. | {
"date": "2017-03-23T14:19:52Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2017-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218187113.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212947-00493-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9585967063903809,
"token_count": 2573,
"url": "http://everydayfeminism.com/2017/03/things-stop-telling-about-periods/"
} |
Women at Caltech
Caltech provides, supports, and hosts a variety of resources for women in its community, many of which are focused on supporting the advancement of women in science and engineering. We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” and welcome trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary persons who are significantly female-identified.
These resources include programs and services that offer women at Caltech access to opportunities and address issues of gender equity, as well as many social clubs and activities.
This site includes information for women related to the following:
- Discussion groups
- WAVE Fellows
- Parents and caregivers
- General career and academic mentorship
- Clubs & groups
Connect on Campus
In addition to discussion and support groups, there are many activity clubs and other groups at Caltech. To connect with other members of the Caltech community, find a club or group that’s right for you!
Stay in Touch
To receive weekly announcements on upcoming events, join the listserv for Caltech women. | {
"date": "2017-03-26T13:00:32Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2017-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218189239.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212949-00573-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9581688642501831,
"token_count": 221,
"url": "http://diversitycenter.caltech.edu/women/caltech"
} |
I’m getting ready to move in a few weeks – only a few miles, to an apartment my partner and I will share. Part of this move, of course, includes packing our various sundry kitchen items from our currently two separate kitchens. This process has led me to think about that first meal I will cook in the new kitchen – whatever it may be.
I’ve had to cook in a number of new kitchens over the past decade: dorms, my college apartment, the places I lived during each master’s degree, my New York City apartment, and places that I’ve spent good chunks of time in in South Africa and other places. Some of this moving about has been because I’m as peripatetic as any overeducated millennial. Some of this moving about has also followed my career. And each kitchen has been different: from a narrow New York City kitchen to the huge kitchen in the apartment I shared in college.
I usually make the same round of things my first few weeks in a new kitchen. I make an apple cake, I usually make a lentil and okra dish, and I usually make a shakshouka. The last move I made, in 2019, also included a black bean soup. Some of this habit is to reduce the cognitive overload while I adjust to a new space. Some of this cooking, however, is intentionally strategic.
Stoves and ovens, as it turns out, have their own idiosyncrasies. Some ovens tend to run hotter than others – and though an oven thermometer is always handy, knowing what “200C” actually means for your oven takes a bit of experimentation. There’s always the burner that runs a little wonky, or that electric stoves vary wildly in quality. When one makes something that one knows well, it’s easier to spot – in the differences – what one needs to be watchful for in a new kitchen. Hence the apple cake helps me figure out how much hotter an oven is than the displayed temperature, and a shakshouka can help me figure out how reliable an electric cooktop is.
Google did not turn up much for me. So I want to know: do you have a similar practice? My partner usually makes his favorite food – Cincinnati chili – but not as a way to “test out” the kitchen. Do you cook something easy post-move? Or do you try to get to know your new kitchen and its various quirks, whatever they may be?
Today we have a guest post from my dear friend, Michael Faccini, who is a social worker and all-around Jewish advocate in New York. Michael and I speak quite often, and he offered to write a post about his experience hosting his non-Jewish partner for a seder this year – including some delicious food photos and an exploratory experience. This piece is really lovely, and it’s an honor to have it here on Flavors of Diaspora. Also – I covet Michael’s ability to make flan and I will definitely ask him to teach me soon.
For the past few months, I’ve been dating someone really wonderful and quite unexpected. He’s kind, considerate, supportive, and…not Jewish. I’ve been in a lot of communities in which that is automatically A Problem. So, even as he was asking respectful questions and watching Fiddler with me on a date night, I was worried about Pesach. With hesitation I asked if he wanted to do a seder with me and he said yes, without hesitation.
After some questions, he said, “I’ll try any Jewish food…as long as it has flavor.” Uh oh. You see, my partner is Puerto Rican. His bar for flavor is a lot higher than most traditional Pesach foods that are often too bland, even for me. Challenge accepted, but with trepidation. As I planned the menu, I felt pangs of guilt. Yeah, this would have flavor, but it was all food from my culture, none from his. It’s not exactly a cultural exchange if the only culture present is mine. Remembering how he talks about his aunt’s flan, I came up with the solution: a traditional seder (with flavor) and flan for dessert.
I looked at all the Pesach recipes I could find. Which had flavor? Where could I add flavor? How was I going to do that with still impaired smell and taste from covid (recipes and memory, mostly)? I decided on: matzo ball soup, tzimmes, potato kugel, and rosemary lemon chicken. Much of the flavor for the soup came from this lovely site’s vegetarian broth recipe (Jonathan note: this compliment was unsolicited!), but also a last minute innovation in the matzo ball mix: adobo seasoning. Matzo balls are often too bland for me, but these were flavorful and delicious. For the kugel, I tried caramelizing the onions before adding them. Not really worth it and I learned that no one cares that a kugel is “bland.” The rest was standard. I made the full meal except the matzo balls themselves and the chicken. Partially this was for Shabbat, but as someone with chronic fatigue issues I find that premaking and then reheating food for stuff like this allows for pacing that reduces stress and prevents exhaustion.
Now for the Puerto Rican side. I am a baker, but I have never made baked custards and they are notoriously easy to mess up. I went into this nervous from a technical perspective, but also because flan is a cultural food. I always worry that doing cultural foods poorly will be seen as insulting, even though he said he appreciated that I was even trying. So, I settled on this recipe and proceeded with anxiety, justifiably. My loaf pan was a little larger than the recipe. My oven is notoriously unreliable and decided that it wanted to be at 350 that day, not 300. I set the timer much earlier than the recipe and pulled it when it looked like the appropriate jiggle, until I moved it again and it looked too set. I did a video of the jiggle for amusement and sent it to him, captioned: “Here’s the (probably overbaked) flan for tomorrow.” He responded, “it looks fine.” Doubtful.
Hopefully you’re asking yourself what he contributed to the food. My apartment is shomer kashrut even if I’m not, so I actually didn’t ask him to bring anything, and I kind of tried to discourage him. But he’s a Puerto Rican that likes to cook, so I should have known that wasn’t going to happen. He surprised me with maduros made from the blackest plantains and tostones because he knew it couldn’t have flour and that I love plantains. He also for the first time in his life bought kosher wine, requested to be sweet. And, y’all, he and the guy at Jay’s liquor delivered. I usually don’t like wine, but I enjoyed this one.
Oh, wait, isn’t there more to a seder than the food?
That was also a challenge. If you think New Yorkers are all Jewish literate, I have news for you. He is a New Yorker through and through, but doesn’t know a lot about Judaism. I wanted to make his first seder one that would be educational, but mostly engaging and enjoyable. He’s a comic book nerd, so I got us the Graphic Novel Haggadah (generally enjoy, but lacks translation for a lot of things) and freely did some skimming, often with me explaining while we admired the artwork (it’s very well done). For maggid, we watched the Rugrats Passover special and Prince of Egypt. No finer maggid exists. For it all, he was engaged and curious, exactly how you should be at a seder.
Back to food. We couldn’t eat until late because I needed to wait until Shabbat ended (like 8pm) to put the chicken in. While we enjoyed our maggid options, I prepared the chicken and soup before reheating the rest. The chicken, well, the chicken had some oven related issues. We had that much later than the rest. This was the first time he’d had tzimmes and kugel. Both were hits, with the tzimmes suggested as particularly good for ham (he’s probably right and I’m pretty sure I may be asked to recreate them for just that purpose). He’s had and enjoyed matzo ball soup, so that was not new but eagerly anticipated. The broth particularly was a hit (y’all, this broth really is delicious and refreshing) and the adobo made the matzo balls themselves much more enjoyable. He enjoyed it all immensely and it definitely filled the flavor requirement.
It was time for the part of the night I’d been looking to most anxiously: the flan. I warmed the caramel by putting the pan in hot water briefly and then unmolded. I cut us slices and could tell immediately that it was not, in fact, overbaked. It was set well but still very creamy, almost like a soft cheesecake. The couple of times I’ve had flan, it was less creamy and more rubbery. I watched carefully as he took a bite and I knew before he’d said anything that I’d done well. The flan, he insisted, was perfect. His mother would be the final judge.
When he went home in the morning after flan for breakfast, I gave him a hefty portion of flan to take with him. As soon as he got home, he had his mom try to the flan. He called me on speaker right afterward. His mom tells me how good the flan is and says, “Will you teach me? You’re Jewish, right? A Jew teaching a Puerto Rican how to make flan.” I responded that of course I would. My partner ended the call by saying that I was honorary Puerto Rican now.
The seder was undramatic and enjoyable. But it was also transgressive. I, a white Jew, invited my Puerto Rican non-Jewish partner to seder. Even as leaving rabbinical school frees me to be open about this relationship, none of us can pretend that interfaith relationships are accepted in many Jewish communities. While we are often not read as a interracial couple because I’m often assumed to be Latine, we similarly cannot pretend that such couplings are universally accepted. There are a lot of “don’t do this” messages for our relationship just because of our demographics. That alone is transgressive, but also the act of genuine, curious cultural exchange. How often do we interact with people who are different from us in which we both are full humans and we talk about our differences? It went beautifully. I was Jewish, unapologetically. He was Puerto Rican, unapologetically. And we got to spend the evening sharing ourselves and our cultures. May we leave the narrow places in our worlds and minds so that we can have more of that freedom.
Hello! I have not posted much content in a while. Graduate school keeps one busy – although, I am pleased to say, the work is applicable to the community! And part of this work has involved lots of fieldwork and lots of writing. But now I have the time, during my break, to write a new post – on a topic near and dear to me.
Something I have recently thought quite a bit about is dementia. A good chunk of my graduate and recent professional work has been about social infrastructure and facilities for older adults, especially those with memory loss. We live in a culture that does not value people with dementia, and it is a shame. Even other discussions about disability, including some of mine, do not adequately consider people with dementia and their needs. To make better lives for older adults with dementia, we do not just need proper infrastructure, nor is it only keeping them out of congregate facilities. (Both are essential.) Rather, we need to have a cultural overhaul – and that includes food.
We often forget that people with dementia have personalities and preferences – and that extends to palates too. As memory loss progresses, people with dementia have different experiences. Sometimes, they prefer one thing that is somewhat new. In other cases, and especially for immigrants, their preferences revert to those of their teenage or young adult years. When it comes to food, these tendencies might manifest as a strong desire for one food, or a preference for food from a home cuisine. Institutional food usually does not meet these desires. Nor do many standard programs that encourage “healthy eating” – while forgetting that “healthy food” is different from person to person.
Regularity and independence matter a lot when we talk about food and dementia. Many older adults with memory loss are given no agency over their lives – and though support is sometimes needed, support is different from forced dependence. Often, no preference about food is offered – or the opportunity to control how much is eaten, and how. At the same time, routine is grounding. Often, a regular meal or snack on the same day or at the same time is helpful and empowering. Variety, often forced, can be disquieting or distressing for some people. Yet we live in a food culture that often considers repetition or leftovers “boring” or “dull.” This problem is part of a wider one: people with dementia are also often excluded by the food practices of everyone else. Older adults with memory loss are often talked past when food is discussed, and their preferences and needs are often dismissed. We can start by allowing for their independence and need for regularity.
What does that look like for Jewish food? We already have regularity: challah and other traditional breads on Shabbat, weekly festive meals, and traditions around what food gets eaten when, like herring, cholent, brik, and bourekas. Keeping up these traditions can help include people with dementia in two ways. One is providing that grounding regularity. The other is that, for many Jewish older adults, these foods may meet a need grounded in an earlier stage of life. Encouraging these traditions can be a powerful form of inclusion. At the same time, all of us can do more to encourage independence. People with dementia should have the chance to eat independently, and their preferences should be respected. If they do not want “Jewish food,” that’s okay. Jewish tradition and food should not be forced.
Stars are footnotes and appear at the end of the post.
Greetings from Maryland, where I am safely ensconced and riding out our strange new reality. I miss my partner, in New York, and my family, but I am okay. I hope you are managing and keeping safe.
With the ongoing crisis, I have been thinking a lot about differential access to food, and how it plays out in a pandemic situation for folks with different experiences, often marginalized ones. There are authors who have already written very eloquently about these effects from the point of view of class, race, and gender – and I strongly suggest you read these pieces too! I want to talk, today, about how these access points can play out for people with disabilities.* Specifically, I will talk about the acts of getting, storing, and making food to eat in this context.
When I wrote my piece about disability in the kitchen, the blog’s most-read article to date, I did not foresee that we would be dealing, two years later, with a global pandemic. At the time, I was working on accessible communications for a government agency; now, I am doing graduate work in urban planning, focusing on aging and disability in the built environment. Even the way I talk about my own autism has changed. And, as I research topics from public restrooms to sidewalks, I keep returning to that piece I wrote about disability in the kitchen. Now, when I watch all of our food habits change in line with the virus, enabled by technical innovations, I note that people with disabilities still face barriers to coronavirus cooking. These barriers come right alongside the threats to disabled people’s lives from rationed care, the lack of access to many remote services on which disabled people rely, and the housing problems many disabled people face.
We should remember that disability intersects with other marginalized identities. Disabled people of color face particular and often more intense barriers to access, and often lack access to services more than their white counterparts. This lack extends to access to food – be it living in food deserts or not having an accessible grocery store nearby. Gender, too, plays a role: women, non-binary people, and transgender people often also have difficulty accessing services. And class plays an overarching role. People with disabilities are far more likely to be poor and to rely on inadequate “safety nets”; many people cannot afford food during a normal time. So now, many of the interventions well-off abled people take for granted – grocery delivery, food delivery, or being able to purchase two weeks’ of food at once – are more difficult or impossible for many disabled people. Not to mention that inadequate housing and kitchens particularly affect poor disabled people – especially people of color with disabilities.** People incarcerated in “group homes”often have no autonomy over their food at all (or anything else). The inability during a “normal” time to afford a house with accessible food storage or appliances is doubly problematic when there is no accessible way to store, cook, or save large quantities of food.
But these problems start even before we get to putting food away. Let’s walk through the process of going to a grocery store, buying food, bringing it home, storing it, and cooking it in this time.
Barriers start with the simple act of getting to the grocery store, or getting groceries delivered. Of course, some people with disabilities cannot safely leave their homes during the pandemic, and that situation itself is an enormous barrier. Many people with disabilities, including those who can leave, rely on public transit or paratransit to go to “essential services” like supermarkets, and routes and service have been gutted in many areas. As a result, what was a one-hour trip might now take three. Sidewalks, already badly maintained and narrow, are difficult to practice social distancing on – especially if you cannot wheel on dirt or safely on a busy street! Many grocery stores that are open have visitors line up on inaccessible barriers for entry, or are located in difficult-to-navigate and often dangerous areas. These challenges are added to on the return trip with the difficulty of carting food while achieving any of these tasks. Food delivery can cost more money that many disabled people do not have, and not to mention, anecdotes indicate that some things do not seem to make it into delivery baskets right now. Furthermore, many delivery services’ communications are inaccessible, be it badly-designed websites or demanding telephone calls some people cannot make. So, many people with disabilities rely on friends or family to assist with groceries – but this relies coordination, and often gives other people undue power over what that disabled person is eating. The “well-meaning” (but actually inappropriately controlling) family member might not, for example, get those sour cream ranch chips that make lockdown that much more bearable for their relative.
Other barriers exist once you enter a grocery store or supermarket. Of course, many grocery stores are inaccessible, with narrow aisles and steps, loud equipment that triggers sensory reactions, and broadly impossible to navigate for blind people. Coronavirus adds another layer: the need to socially distance means that you move a lot, but some people move more slowly than others. Standing in line for an hour, as occurs in many places, is not possible for some people. Social distancing is more difficult or impossible for people with cognitive disabilities, especially given the type of mental processing such distancing requires. On top of food shopping, that can become very difficult without cues in the store. The worry about viral spread, often dismissed for grocery stores, is quite real for immunocompromised people. Masks make it harder for Deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate with store staff and other shoppers, because facial expressions and lip-reading become impossilbe. And, of course, shortages play a role too. If you, like many disabled people, have food sensitivities or allergens, and your mainstay foods are out of stock, you may find shopping more difficult. Not to mention that markups on common food items may make them unaffordable to many people with disabilities.
Once someone returns, or has food delivered, how do they store it? Refrigerators and freezers are often inaccessible for people with disabilities – especially wheelchair users and people of short stature. Food packaging is usually inaccessible to blind and low-vision people, who often have to relabel all of their food once it comes back into the house. With the larger grocery hauls that result from less frequent trips away from home, this task becomes longer, and more tiring. In addition, cabinets, especially those meant for food storage, are also often not accessible for wheelchair users. When one is limited to a certain amount of space, storing two weeks’ worth of food can be an insurmountable challenge, as a result of poor, inaccessible design. (Even a design that is pretty: if it is not accessible, the design probably is not good.) Many disabled people live in housing that already was inadequate for food preparation and storage. Furthermore, for many people with cognitive disabilities, the challenge of sorting and storing food,*** already present before the pandemic, becomes even more taxing with the new amounts of food and the different rations required during the pandemic. And, of course, let us not forget that people with suppressed immune systems are at higher risk of contracting coronavirus from packaging, if it is transmitted this way, with far worse results.
Then, of course, there are challenges familiar and new about planning and cooking meals. All of the usual barriers impeding disabled people’s freedom in the kitchen are still there: unusable counters, dangerous stoves, inaccessible sinks, and so on. But the necessitated reliance on cooking makes it that much harder if things get messed up – something that also matters for recipients of food assistance. In addition, planning meals can be a difficult task – and planning them for as much as two weeks is often extremely difficult for people with cognitive disabilities. Furthermore, many of the pre-prepared ingredients that make cooking more manageable for people with disabilities – pre-cut vegetables, canned fruit, and little herb sachets among them – are in short supply at many groceries. Some disabled people may not be able to, say, safely chop an onion in their kitchen.
For many disabled people, this paradigm is particularly exhausting. Some disabled people already work with lower levels of energy or higher fatigue than other people. Most disabled people have to do the honestly tiring work of figuring out how to move around barriers, to navigate inaccessible spaces, and still get what they need. In the age of coronavirus, that can be especially tiring. And so the added fatigue, the accumulated tiredness, the “lack of spoons,” becomes yet another barrier for food access. Even – especially for people who cannot leave their homes right now. The worry and the coordination of food access alone can be exhausting – on top of which, all these other issues may apply.
You may notice, when reading, that many of these issues are not specifically about coronavirus itself. Of course not – the built environment that harms disabled people was already there before the pandemic: access to food sources was still blocked, transport was still an issue, kitchens were inadequate, cooking was difficult, fatigue still occurred. The point is not that these barriers to food and cooking are new for people with disabilities. The point is that the coronavirus crisis amplifies them, to a point of being even more impactful and dangerous.
I wonder, from a personal and professional perspective, how we can address these issues in a post-pandemic world. What sort of transport structures and changes will we need to put in place to consider food access and service access for people with disabilities? What changes need to be given additional oomph? What new requirements will supermarkets, grocery stores, housing, and other services need to meet during construction? Some of these standards already exist, but some will be changed. After all, disabled people, too, will be making changes to their lifestyles after the pandemic – and that choice will necessitate some new design standards, be they wider supermarket aisles or more food storage space than before in an accessible kitchen. These are all to be determined, and hopefully, will improve upon the current paradigm, which is unacceptably inaccessible.
*A note to readers: I tend to be ecumenical about using “person-first language” – people with disabilities – and identity first language – “disabled people,” though I tend to prefer the latter since it points out that people are disabled by the societies around them. This idea is called the social model of disability. As an autistic person, I find myself switching when I even describe myself. That said, I know many people with disabilities prefer person-first language, and as a compromise, I switch between the two now. For certain disability communities, there are proper protocols: The descriptor Deaf people is always identity-first in English, the descriptor people with cognitive disabilities is always person-first in English. These rules are based on community decisions. Please do not use “differently-abled,” as it implies that there is something wrong with being disabled!
**The first folks to be listened to on issues affecting disabled people of color are disabled people of color themselves. For a clear explanation as to why, and the intersection of race and disability, see this fantastic piece by Imani Barbarin. Ditto for issues affecting women with disabilities, disabled transgender people, and working-class disabled people. I should not be your primary source here!
***Resources by and for people with cognitive disabilities often expressly discuss pantry storage and food purchasing. However, many assume regular grocery access – which may not be possible during the pandemic.
My maternal grandmother left a mountain of recipes. I wrote about some of these for Handwritten Magazine before. The recipes are delicious and replete with typos or forgotten ingredients. Mysteriously, 0s are doubled or removed, so the recipe ends up calling for “20 grams flour” rather than 200. Entire ingredients, like flour, are forgotten. So are basic steps, like frying onions. When one cooks from the recipe, it is an experiment of trial and much error. It took nearly twenty attempts to get her pumpkin fritters right.
So, to this year. My mother and I were tasked with bringing stuffed matzoh balls to a Passover seder. These kneidlach are stuffed with fried onions and garlic and are very, very tasty. We opened the sheaf of my grandmother’s typewritten papers with her recipes to the matzoh ball to find that … mysteriously, she seemed to call for as much margarine as matzoh meal. Being experienced enough to know that this couldn’t be right, we consulted other recipes for a more sensible ratio. We realize now that my grandmother meant 20 grams.
As I reflected on this bizarre typo (and imagining fat globules swimming through my soup), I thought about all the ways Jewish cuisine might have been shaped by mistakes. We often think of cuisine as some sort of unbroken tradition. I have written repeatedly, here and elsewhere, why that is bunk. We also valorize the creativity of our ancestors in using and taking in new ingredients, or making things out of limited ingredients, or having the bravery to try something new. That is somewhat more accurate, but there is still something lacking. And so I would say this:
Mistakes have shaped Jewish cuisine. They may be typos, omissions, spills, accidental omissions, or random accidents. Sometimes they change it for the worse, sometimes for the better, and sometimes we never know. A dish might end up being better with the accidental addition of a spice, or leaving out something else. It might become a longstanding tradition – I suspect that whoever first made the gelled broth of gefilte fish probably left the broth out for too long by mistake. A mistake may also turn into someone’s “secret ingredient.” My formerly-secret ingredient of black pepper in applesauce started as an accident.
That said, people make mistakes more often than they withhold secrets. When a recipe does not work out, some people’s first instinct is to assume that the cook left out an ingredient to preserve their domination over a dish. The mythical “secret ingredient.” I doubt that this is usually the case, though ardent cooks can be as vain and petty as anyone. Rather, I am more convinced of the fact that cooks forget that they do things in a way, or that they add something in such and such a way, because it is so natural to them. I beat eggs in a certain way, so that the whites get a bit puffier, but I never thought to include that in a recipe, for example. That mistake will change the final product, unless you too beat your eggs in the exact same way. In addition, you can always mess up when cooking from someone else’s recipe. And these mistakes determine, I think, a bit of what gets cooked and what does not. If a mistake makes a dish hard for someone to recreate, then that dish will likely not appear on the table – or appear in altered form. Likewise, if a mistake leaves you with a bad impression of a dish, then you will not be inclined to cook it again. As I write this, I wonder how many creative, tasty, and wondrous dishes have been lost to mistakes by author or cook. My grandmother’s pumpkin fritters very nearly met this fate, because she forgot to mention flour at all.
Things get lost in translation, too. One thing that often never gets really appreciated is how different “eyeball” quantities can be in different languages – ktzat in Hebrew is not necessarily a bit in English, and that is not un poquito in Spanish either. Now, apply that measure to salt, or pepper, or nutmeg (as I have witnessed), and see what results. The same goes for directions: meng in Afrikaans can be expressed by several words, not just mix, in English. And, of course, “to taste” is impossibly personal and extremely cultural. So when parents give their children recipes, or friends give their friends recipes, or someone squints over a newspaper in a language they speak imperfectly (guilty as charged), unintentional mistakes can be made quite easily. And the end product is different. Sometimes the change is not so great, but sometimes it is better or tastier.
And then there are the dishes you end up forgetting to make for years at a time. I have not made brownies, for example, for about five years. (Shocking, I know.) I know that when I make them the first time, I will probably mess something up. If I make them for someone, they might not like “my brownies” – even if I try to convince them that my brownies are normally delicious. If that person is my boyfriend, I might not end up making them for quite a while, or ever again. Transpose this idea to a rarer dish, or one that might not be easily made. It is quite possible that many things have been given up, because they are too hard to make right, or so hard to recreate that they are easily messed up. Beyond changing ideas of “good” and “bad” and assimilating a cultural aversion to wobbliness, one reason that p’tcha is probably no longer as common, for example, is that it is actually quite easy to mess up. Other dishes or variants of extant ones have probably been lost in the recesses of many memories. Still others are changed by the mistakes that you make in re-creation.
Part of me wants to think only of the happy accidents – after all, which genius realized that gefilte fish is perfectly paired with horseradish? But cooking and cuisine are not only happy or happy accidents. A lot of learning to cook, and researching food history, is not noticing a thing and then making a disaster of your dish. These disasters help us figure out what to cook, how to cook, and how not to cook. And when we learn from others how to eat, what to eat, and how not to eat, these disasters can add up to a cuisine. Mistakes have changed the way Jews talk about, cook, eat, and remember food, and that is something worth noting – just like my grandmother’s missing 0.
I am starting this piece in Israel, where I am visiting my grandmother at the moment. Israel, as I have written before, is a really weird place in terms of food. There is plenty already written about the influence of Palestinian cuisine on Jewish cooking, continued diaspora traditions, and the “kashrut wars” in Israel. I have even watched a fantastic documentary about the pork industry in Israel. What I find most interesting, though, is that it is ground zero for industrial Jewish foods. Most of the canned gefilte fish, powder-mix matzah ball soup and latkes, and instant farfel have some link to industrial food companies here. If they were not invented here, they are certainly made here.
My grandmother is a fan. At the age of 91, she still enjoys her jarred gefilte fish on Passover, Mandelbrod from big boxes, and the smell of soup made from powdered mix. (She also eats some food that is unlikely to ever have an industrial market, like baked fish heads.) I used to dismiss these products as industrial dreck. But now I find them fascinating, because they still influence our homemade cooking. And just as Israel’s government uses nostalgia to drum up support for Zionism, so too do these food products use nostalgia to not just sell their wares, but redefine Jewish cuisine.
We who write about food are too quick to dismiss these products as unimportant to the grand story, or only negative. Except we often end up imitating them. For people whose first experience of Jewish food was these foods – and we have sixty years of this – that is the “benchmark” for whatever we make. It also becomes the norm. And we end up adding more of the things that people want … which often circle back to these products. Never mind that some people do not have the time, energy, ability, or resources to make everything “from scratch.” Making stock, making kneidlach, and making farfel takes time. The industrial manufacturers hit on a market – and the result is fascinating. Why? Because of how it plays with our psychology.
Makers take memories, smash them together, and create food products out of them. I find that fascinating. The company of course uses that “authentic” taste to sell the food. And eventually those tastes – which are often similar – become fixed. So then we have to adjust our handmade recipes to reflect those. We cannot remember the pre-industrial food that we never tasted! What we mistakenly call authentic is as much a product of marketing as anything else, even foods like p’tcha that do not have a version from the box. Some mourn this reality. I do not.
We have to remember that industrial food came about and stayed for a reason. Well, actually, it came about for many reasons, right alongside the development of capitalism, redistribution of wealth, and redistribution of cuisines. Food has also, in all civilizations, been industrial to a certain extent, with products being made, processed, and consumed in separate places. To return to the point though: industrial food made it far more efficient, practical, and possible to make food, make different types of food, and make a variety of food available. Canning made vegetables more regularly available during the winter. Dried pasta made noodles affordable. The packaging of rice made it shippable. Industrial bread made affordable bread without dangerous or unsavory additives that often caused illness or debilitating pain from indigestion. (The latter was common in Europe before the 19th century.) The natural next step in some ways was to industrialize other foods. That went well with the faith in scientific everything of the early and mid-20th century. True, these foods were seen as suspicious, and the women who were first to embrace them were often criticized for not doing things “the real way.” But the ease and simplicity of cooking them made industrial foods much more popular. Women, who still do most of the housework in homes today, had more time. (The use of industrial food maps closely to the ability of women to enter the workforce.) Fewer people were malnourished than before – a fact that goes contrary to many screeds about the obesity epidemic. Things that were once rare for most common people, such as chicken in the United States and pasta in Italy, became common. For Jews, festival foods also became more common – though the gefilte fish from the jar was certainly quite different. In Israel, industrialized food got a population of refugees dumped by the Israeli state into transit camps through a long period of austerity. Industrial food also ameliorated the malnutrition common in Palestinian refugee camps – as it still does today. The high-end “organic, handmade” cuisine that later developed in Italy, France, and the Bay Area is not natural or historic. It is an elitist reaction to a new common availability of food, which happens to be industrial. And though industrial food can improve, we should not simply dismiss it.
What would Jewish cooking look like today without industrial food? The honest truth is, I do not know, and nor do you. Industrial food has changed our tastes: it is so common that it is part of all of our memories of taste. It has been around and popular for generations. I would hazard that what we considered the central parts of Jewish food would have a lot less meat, a lot less complexity, and many more foods reserved only for the most important holidays. Perhaps there would also be less salt. I do not think it is useful, though, to recreate pre-industrial Jewish cooking. We are at five generations of cooks who have grown up with stock cubes and bouillon powder, canned tomatoes and packaged noodles, jams from the store and premade matzah meal. Those tastes are in all of our palates – even the ones with organic, fair-trade labeling. We cannot reconstruct that taste. We simply have to move on and acknowledge that these jarred and canned foods, whether or not we like them, a part of our cuisine. We should partake, and participate in how they are developed.
In short, we should embrace what I call modernist Jewish cooking. (The term is an adaptation of Rachel Laudan’s term “culinary modernism”). It is pointless and unhygienic to masturbate to fantasies of the authentic Jewish kitchen. Why complain about frozen gefilte fish, when we can make it different or better for us? Why judge the person who makes matzah ball soup from the box? (Would you rather they not eat?) Why should we be so scared of the shortcuts our grandmothers and great-grandmothers knew better to malign? Why should we romanticize the misogynist misery of cooking “in the old days,” a misery that hundreds of millions of women still live? Why should we embrace the myths of the “natural” kitchen, when nothing about human cooking is ever fully “natural”? And can we even run away from these tastes, that shape us as much as anything that is celebrated?
For more reading on industrial food, I highly recommend the work of Rachel Laudan and Josh Ozersky. “A Plea for Modernist Cuisine” (Laudan) and “In Defense of Industrial Food” (Ozersky) are two of my favorite articles ever written about food. For more on how industrial food products emerged, read Laura Shapiro’s Something From the Oven. For more on industrial food in Israel, Yael Raviv’s Falafel Nationis spectacular. For a lovely, if incomplete, takedown of “locavore” thought, The Locavore’s Dilemma by Pierre Desrochers and Hiroki Shimizu is quite good.
I have wanted, for a long time, to research how people figured out which foods were safe to eat. How were unsafe foods found? How were necessary preparations found? It is a huge topic, and my hubris became clear rather soon. There are scientists who have spent their entire lives figuring this out.
Even then, I have now spent a few weeks down the rabbit hole of poisonous food, poisons, and food. The big thing is that the historical study of food poisoning is completely bonkers. For example: we find a lot of early pottery that sort of looks like a colander. Turns out the items were used to make cheese, which is one of the first safe ways people had to eat milk. Before then, people would eat milk and get really sick, from lactose intolerance. But diarrhea when you are malnourished is dangerous, and people died. Cheese saved lives. Later, lactose tolerance became a more common genetic mutation in Europe and India. This was probably because that in resource scarce areas, where milk was one of the only reliable foods, people who could not digest it died. Then there are other mysteries. Corn was bred from teosinte grass in what is now Central Mexico several thousand years ago. At some point, ancient Mesoamericans figured out how to soak the corn in various alkaline substances. This process, nixtamalization, makes corn more nutritious and flexible. The initial moment was very likely an accident. But later “research” was probably toxic at times – too much alkaline, or not enough washing afterwards. Alkaline substances are sometimes fine for you. There were also certainly instances when someone burned the wrong tree for ash, with terrible consequences. This goes toward the major theme of a lot of what I read: what happens later.
Something that has struck me is how often people die after we know what foods are safe. Mushrooms are one example. We know that some mushrooms are poisonous, and they look like safe mushrooms. There are details that distinguish them. These were important things to learn in communities that relied heavily on foraging. (Communities in Eastern Europe and the Balkans foraged through modern times.) This knowledge was mostly transmitted orally through folk tales and folk wisdom. The knowledge was not always right! People were confident, forgetful, or rushed to assuage hunger or finish the day’s work. And people died. Elderly people, disabled people, and young children were most at risk. When even a mouthful of a deadly mushroom can destroy one’s kidneys, those most at risk died. People of all ages and bodies died, though, centuries after it became common knowledge that a mushroom could be deadly. Monarchs died, composers died, and countless ordinary people died. Even now, many people die from relying on folk legends about mushrooms, such as the idea that all deadly mushrooms are brightly colored. We also have known for millennia that ergot can render rye and barley dangerously unsafe. Yet it still ends up in flour – often under conditions of hunger – and was responsible for several medieval epidemics. Today, occasional incidents still pop up. And let us not forget the people who eat fish that is plainly rotten, drink raw milk despite the risks we know, and consume unwashed salad greens, e. coli and all.
You may have noticed that I switched into the present tense. This is a current topic: people still die from food poisoning every day. Besides, more than half of all food poisoning comes from food prepared at home. Obviously, this is relevant now. Our concern about restaurant safety needs to come alongside giving people the knowledge and tools to prepare food safely at home. Methods include an accessible kitchen, simpler and less risky food, or industrial food. But it also is important from a historical perspective. Until recently, almost all people mostly ate food prepared in domestic settings. The risk then was from the family hearth. The food that killed people was the peasant food, the mother’s food, and the grandmother’s cooking of yesteryear. This is where that oral knowledge comes in – and where it was forgotten.
In the Jewish world, this is no different. Deadly food is mentioned in the Bible. In II Kings 4, the prophet Elisha throws some flour into a pot of gourds and herbs to ward off “death.” Scholars now think that the plant mentioned is colocynth, whose flesh can cause severe gastrointestinal distress. Flour may reduce the distress. The story is didactic: that some of G-d’s creations can kill you. In the Holy Land with sweet and toxic oleander, and colocynth with poisonous flesh and edible seeds, this was important and life-saving knowledge.
Later Jewish communities had to deal with the dangers of their local environments. In Europe, one found deadly mushrooms, dairy products made with rotting milk, and badly brewed alcohol. In the Middle East, you had the risks of oleander, colocynth, and algal blooms in the sea. Adulterated or diseased grain was a threat everywhere. Many Jewish foodies have embraced a romantic history of Jewish food. We rue lost traditions of food preservation and certain delicacies and ties to the land. And while the traditions are beautiful and worth keeping, it is also important to remember why our grandparents embraced industrial foods. Homemade killed, and food was risky. Abundant, relatively safe food was the promise that pushed immigration. The idea of clean, Jewish food contributed to the rise of Zionism. The search for safe bread motivated Bundist movements in Europe and leftist Jewish movements in the Middle East. Food was, and is, life.
Death and deadly foods are a glaring omission from romantic histories of food. I get that it is not fun to think about the food that kills people. A food activism that focuses on yesteryear why we have to go forwards, not backwards. We are all familiar with the horrors of industrial food, but let us take a moment to remember the horrors it reduces. People died trying to figure out what we can eat, and people die figuring out what they are able to eat. Should we not avoid meeting our fate at dinner too?
This is the first of two posts on institutional cooking.
People who cook for large groups do not get enough respect. In our deeply problematic classification of jobs in this country, cooking for large groups is considered “unskilled” labor – whereas somehow moving imaginary quantities of money is considered “skilled.” (Capitalism is really absurd at times.) Cooking may be a menial, manual labor, but it is a labor that requires deep skill – especially when you are turning out food to feed a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand. When you are cooking in a complex institutional setting, it becomes a skill of almost super-heroic proportions.
I and friends have learned this truth the hard way by wandering into occasional institutional-size cooking gigs ourselves. Back in my college days, I somehow ended up cooking lunch a few times for a small, lovely Lutheran church near my campus. Cooking lentil soup and pasta for ten people is a fairly straightforward matter. Cooking for a congregation of over one hundred is a much different undertaking, and after a few hours I found myself completely, utterly exhausted. The fatigue came not just from the physical labor, but from the mental labor of working with much larger quantities, having to adjust my normal cooking habits to the huge quantities I was making, and learning how to work with a soup pot large enough for a small person to fit inside. (I discourage cannibalism.) Other friends have come to dread “cooking duty” in the Israeli, South Korean, or Finnish Armies, which thrusts one into a context where one has to go from zero to feeding a hungry platoon on often substandard ingredients fairly quickly. It is an egalitarian approach to push everyone through the hard labor of large-scale cooking. In another context, I have watched friends spend hours as the institutional mashgiach (kosher supervisor) for college Shabbat dinners, supervising large quantities of food for halachic minutiae. Many of my friends and relatives lived (and some still do) on kibbutzim in Israel that had huge, communal dining halls of varying quality. And of course, there have been the other encounters: helping friends navigate hospital food systems, reading about the unionization of cafeteria workers, and the flurry of articles last year about kashrut in the American prison system.
I have been thinking about institutional food for a while, and how it affects the way we approach and think about food. When I say institutional food, I am referring to food cooked as part of a wider institutional framework not primarily focused on food. These institutions include school and college cafeterias, nursing homes, armies, prisons, hospitals, and places of worship. Institutional cooking, in my mind, has two other defining characteristics. One is that such cuisine is generally made for large groups – institutions provide for the needs, food and otherwise, of hundreds or thousands of people on a regular basis. Those people have a variety of needs and preferences, allergies and aversions, practices and metabolisms, which compounds the challenges of cooking, already made difficult by the scale of the endeavor. The other defining aspect is that institutional cooking has a certain industrialization or standard process to it – necessary to even cook at that scale. Though we often think of processing and industrialization as a modern endeavor, the idea of producing rations in a standard way for many institutions dates back centuries, to madrassas in the Ottoman Empire, monasteries in Western Europe, and armies the world over.
I am only offering some thoughts here. I am a civil servant who does food history as a hobby, and there are many people who have built a career out of studying institutional cooking, not to mention the multitude of institutional cooks themselves. (“Nothing about us without us” should also apply to discussions of labor.) These thoughts are essentially evidenced ideas about how Jewish food and institutions intersect both at the individual level and at the systems level. At the end of this, I will cite some things that you should read, whose have informed my thoughts.
And why does institutional food matter? It is tempting in our craft-addled food culture to forget that institutional food is real food with real influence on the way people eat, what people think of as “good” or “bad” or “normal food, and how people approach the labor of food at all. Many assume that craft culture, with its (expensive, anachronistic, and white) renditions of (often normally inexpensive and created by people of color) “real food” influence people the most. Certainly, it is an influence. But unless you are incredibly rich or have an incredibly unusual upbringing, much of the food you will eat during your most formative life phases in North America, Europe, and Israel is institutional. Cafeteria food at schools, universities, and army mess halls, food at synagogues and churches, food from mass kitchens if you are hospitalized or imprisoned. Tastes are formed by the often-“disappointing” preparations of certain ingredients, and other dishes are looked forward to on a rotation. When many students graduate to cooking on their own, the reference points for a normal meal have been shaped not just by food at home or out, but by years and years of institutional food. Jewish communities, with their own schools, hospitals, yeshivot, synagogues, and institutions – and not to mention kashrut practices and traditional foods – are no exception. Even craft culture imitates the food of institutions and seeks to influence it.
With these ideas in mind, I will now go through a few small discussions of institutional food. Keep in mind that these are brief and extremely incomplete, each of these seven points could be the topic of a doctoral thesis on their own.
Jewish communities have a lengthy discussion on the kashrut of institutional food, but not the labor and logistics of it. Cooking is work, and I cannot labor that point enough. It intersects with disability, with race, what we eat and do not, and how we even conceive of food. It involves strenuous movements like chopping, lifting, and straining in areas of high temperature, often for hours on end. At an institutional level, this labor takes on special characteristics, such as large implements, huge quantities of ingredients, and vast industrial kitchens. It is dangerous labor, and it is hard work. This work is also often taken for granted – and as unpalatable as cafeteria food can be, there is a lot of labor behind it. Even beyond labor, the logistics of actually getting edible food in large quantities to huge, hungry groups of people are astounding. There are trucks that bring food in, pipes to carry waste water away, hiring systems for workers, quality checks, safety checks, and the very task of moving huge quantities of material. So little do we discuss this outside of nerdy food studies circles, or professional circles themselves. Why? The faces of the labor are probably one clue.
Who, specifically, is doing the labor of institutional cooking? How does this affect our foodways? Food work in the developed world and developing world alike is often the work of marginalized people. In developing countries, this may be migrants or members of lower castes. In the developed world, this is often done by working-class immigrants, people of color, and/or women. Jewish communities are no exception, and the United States is no exception. Institutions that serve primarily white clientele often have a cooking staff made up of entirely Black and Latina women. Again, Jewish institutions are no exception. There are two major notes to take from this fact.One is the way this work is closely tied to the way labor, race, and gender intersect. Not only is institutional cooking manual and menial labor, but it is also associated with groups marginalized in Jewish and wider society: people of color and women. This tie means that ordinary people are far less likely to respect that work than say, that of the mashgiach (though more on that later). Because people of color and women are also more likely to face workplace abuse, bad working conditions are less likely to be noticed or addressed. Many institutions simply do not pay their food workers enough to live on. Jewish institutions are among them. What would changing that system mean for our food practices?The other matter is that the cuisine changes. I discussed in a post last year the way Black domestic workers influenced and shaped Jewish cooking in North America. Not only were African-American women bringing home challah and kugel, but White Jewish children were raised on foods more frequently associated with African-American and Caribbean cultures. (Yes, most Ashkenazi Jews in the United States are White.) Let us leave aside that much of “mainstream” North American food was created by enslaved Black people; Michael Twitty’s book can never be topped by a few pithy sentences. What I want to note here is that the people of color, often women, who work in institutional food settings affect the cuisine that is served in institutions themselves. How so? Well, they are doing the cooking! They make adjustments to food when situations arise based on what they know. Sometimes seasonings are changed – actually, frequently. Cooking times are adjusted. The time something is left on a burner is increased. Last-minute incidents of spills and freezer problems cause all sorts of new things. All these change the final product, especially in large quantities. Often, workers make the foods they know how to make in large quantities from their own communities; it is far easier to make the things one has seen prepared many times over, and food workers are no exception to that rule. (Hence the frequency of rice and beans as a base in some cafeterias, hearty stews in others, or fried okra and biscuits in Southern Jewish institutions.) As much as any home cooking or elite TV show, these contributions shape the very idea of what food “belongs” in institutions.
I will share one favorite example. The Filipina and Palestinian Arab women and Mizrahi men who work in my grandmothers’ almost entirely Ashkenazi nursing home are responsible for feeding the residents. The great hits of Ashkenazi Israeli cooking are there: soups, salads, schnitzel. So too, are foods that seem to have started off as last-minute additions: certain rice dishes, stewed and stuffed vegetables, and okra in various forms. Those dishes are often the best-tasting, and beloved by many residents. Mind you, many of these happy consumers did not eat okra for the first eighty-five years of their lives with any regularity.
What does “Jewish” institutional food look like? What gets filtered through the process of industrialization and simplification? Is there an institutional kosher cuisine? I ask this for two reasons. One is that I often see the same things or combination of things being served at Jewish institutions, usually adaptations of Ashkenazi, Israeli, or Western European food. (I am distinctly aware that all of these terms are highly loaded.) In some ways, we can call this a “culinary” tradition of what ends up on school, hospital, army, and synagogue trays and plates. The other is that the combination of the minutiae of strict interpretations of kashrut and the challenge of cooking for large groups of people for a long time on a daily basis produces certain challenges. As a result, some foods become unfeasible because of the effort or cost involved – dairy if one practices chalav Yisrael, eggs if one is machmir (fastidious) about blood spots, certain green leafy vegetables if one follows certain rabbi’s guidelines on vegetable washing and preparation. Some foods are also much easier: breads, pastas, rice, cabbage, soups. Institutional kosher cuisine, to me, feels like an endless sea of soups.In tandem with this last point: if there is an institutional-kosher cuisine, why is so much of it meat-based? Given the expense of kosher meat, the commonality of vegetarianism in Jewish communities, and the number of additional rules involving meat, I am somewhat surprised at how many institutional kitchens are certified as “meat.” Part of me wonders if this is a cultural thing – meat is seen as “ideal” for a meal. Another part wonders if it has to do with the extended arguments about the kashrut rules on dairy and the general Haredi monopoly on kosher certification in North America, Europe, and Israel. And part of me wonders if it is simply … part of the culture at this point.
Even though I just critiqued this, what does institutional kashrut even look like? I know that I just excoriated Jewish communities for so heavily concentrating on kashrut a few paragraphs back – and indeed, I do maintain that the concentration on keeping kosher has masked the very real matter of who does the labor, how they are treated, and what that entails.I still find kashrut interesting for other reasons, though. Not for the matter of keeping institutional kitchens and food systems kosher, though that is fascinating too – much has been written about this by Roger Horowitz in Kosher USA, Sue Fishkoff in Kosher Nation, and by organizations providing kosher supervision themselves, such as Star-K and the Orthodox Union. Rather, I am interested in how people change – or do not change – their practice of kashrut in institutional environments. There are so many things to investigate, but these include:
How do people become looser with kashrut at institutions? Some institutions may offer food adhering to one’s normal kashrut practices, but even that can be limiting. How does one choose food, if possible, that meets one’s standards internally? How does one decide when and where to loosen the standards? For example, I myself would normally be upset if tongs used to serve non-kosher meat landed in the broccoli without being washed. But at many institutional cafeterias, I have not cared. Other friends have found themselves making exceptions or even redefining what they generally think of as kosher, not just in a given and unusual situation. People like maintaining traditions, but they also want to eat enough. Do people ever become stricter? If so, why?
In addition, why do Jewish communities seem to only discuss the holiness or cleverness of the work of the mashgiach (kosher supervisor), but never the labor or discomfort it can bring? Being a mashgiach can involve long periods of time in hot spaces, like any kitchen job, with an attention to detail that evades many. One must often explain arcane rules to people who not only do not understand the rules, but may not have a common language with you. It is a standing, moving labor. Pay varies widely among mashgichim, as do work conditions. Do we consider how well mashgichim are compensated, especially given that some certified-kosher food products can often be so expensive? How much money from institutional food practices actually goes to the mashgiach? (At this point, I have to acknowledge that kashrut is not separate from labor.) And if a business is paying for certification, or a rabbinical authority with questionable business ties, what pressures do mashgichim face to choose between their interpretation of halacha and their job security? How have kosher practices changed in response to the work conditions of mashgichim? How have mashgichim changed their practices in response to “popular” kosher assumptions or concerns?
Let us zoom out to the urban level: how do Jewish communities build their own institutional food systems? Here, I am primarily thinking of certified-kosher food. The rules of strict kashrut are arcane and complicated, and many will only eat commercially prepared food that is under rabbinical supervision. For prisoners, members of the military, and people in hospitals far from Jewish populations, food must often be shipped long distances, and often in bulk. Take two to three meals a day and multiplying it by 30 days in a month, or 90 days in a quarter, and even food for two or three strict kosher-keepers becomes a hefty shipment. For the caterers and industrial providers that have arisen for this population, that is a steady stream of revenue – but also requires planning to make sure food is not left unsealed, shipped safely over long distances, and is still edible at journey’s end. In areas with bigger Jewish populations, hospitals and schools often have their own kosher kitchens or kosher catering, which draws from a network of trusted suppliers and certified sources. Those suppliers also provide to the other parts of the food chain – supermarkets, restaurants, and sometimes consumers. As a result, there is a whole Jewish food system parallel to the “mainstream” food system – just as there are other parallel systems.Much has been written by Roger Horowitz and Sue Fishkoff (linked below) about keeping these food systems kosher. I am more interested in the social dynamics of such a system and how it interacts with wider ideas of a Jewish community – and how such systems enable Jewish communities to form or dissolve. This, of course, is something I could spend a lifetime pondering.
People with disabilities often spend more time in institutions than abled people, and more time eating institutional food. Special schools for the Deaf and children with cognitive disabilities are often boarding schools; adults with cognitive disabilities often live in group homes or facilities. Many people with cognitive disabilities never learn how to cook. Those with chronic illnesses spend more time in hospitals, and college students with disabilities are often more reliant on cafeterias at their schools. Of course, elders in nursing homes are often wholly reliant on institutional food – especially if their disabilities prevent them from cooking, or living somewhere with access to kitchen facilities. As a result, institutional food often looms larger in a disabled person’s life.The tragic irony is that this food is often inaccessible. Food produced at an industrial scale is often difficult to tailor to severe allergies or specific dietary needs, or produced in ways that some people cannot consume. For example, I have volunteered at many soup kitchens that serve lots of hard, crunchy food. For a clientele that often lacks dental care, have untreated dental problems, or have swallowing problems, this sort of food is impossible to eat without pain or even danger. Never mind that many chronic illnesses are accompanied by a host of food intolerances.
The food is also, as we all know, not usually very good, and not just in terms of taste. For many people, the depressing matter of relying on terrible and often inedible food day after day is a major trigger for mental illness. For Jews and many other groups, the food is also not the food of one’s community or the foods that one might prefer or even know. There are huge Jewish institutional food systems, but that does not mean all Jews who rely on institutional food have access to adequate, nutritious, and appropriate food. Even being vegetarian can cause problems in institutional settings. The lack of control over what one eats is yet another stab to dignity.
What would accessible and good institutional food look like? I cannot provide the answer in a paragraph, but it ties to the systems I described above. To build a food system that is accessible at all, changes in the way we shop for, package, and talk about food are needed – and not to mention kitchen design and recipes themselves. On an institutional level, this may involve a larger workforce and much more separate “streams” for dietary needs – and less of an attachment to the craft-culture, slow-food mentality. It would also take into account different cultural approaches to food and expectations, and not impose the desires of dominant groups. I also believe that such a shift would need to start, first and foremost, with the input and ideas of the disabled people most affected by institutional food right now: elders, adults with cognitive disabilities, and those in medically-based assisted living facilities. “Nothing about us without us.”
The memory of institutional food is long-lasting. Originally, I was going to post some things and anecdotes told to me by people over social media, but so many people sent stories in that there will now be a subsequent post. Suffice to say that not only do memory and institutional food shape cuisines and how people cook, but also that this combination produces fascinating, funny, and often cringe-worthy stories. (The post will be a blast.)In any case, I have been wondering three things about memory and institutional food:a. How does institutional food create common communal memories of Jewish food? When I say this, I do not mean the abstract memory often cited by academics, but ideas and tropes that people have experienced themselves. Students who have eaten at Hillels and camps in the United States all seem to recall salty soups, Israelis all seem to remember meat loaves and oily, oily potatoes from Army service. The eggs at Jewish hospitals seem uniformly “bouncy.” Institutional food, clearly, creates the memories that turn into jokes, anecdotes, and common wisdom.
b. Institutional food “teaches” people the bounds of Jewish food. How does that carry over beyond institutions? It is well known that cafeteria food and school food is a place where people are “taught” what the food of a nation, group, or community are. Hence the recent emphasis on pork in French cafeteria food in response to growing diversity, or the focus on “national” foods in Scandinavia, Central Europe, and Japan. Jewish food is no different, and a simple scan of the menus from Jewish day schools and camps shows that food also has an educational element on kashrut, tradition, and conspicuous absences. There are Israeli salads, matzah ball soups, and stews, but certainly little fake treyf or, G-d forbid, real (Yael Raviv has discussed institutional cooking as a place of teaching extensively in her book Falafel Nation.) But after the Jew graduates from school, camp, yeshiva, and/or the Israeli Army, what effect does this education have? Do people subconsciously follow these lessons on what gets eaten and when, or are they intentionally subverted.
c. How does institutional food “reshape” people’s habits and approaches to “normal” and “weird” food? In tandem with this, how do encounters with emotional food determine what people see as “normal” food? I am thinking here of a few things. One might include impressions of what other people expect. Another might include what gets determined as normal food at all. And another are the feelings when your own communities’ foods and memories are not included in the institutional framework – and the way that shapes your approach to the foods of your communities as well. Institutional food is deeply white in the United States.
Tam ve-nishlam, here is the end of my scattered thoughts on institutional food. Two more notes:
First, look out for an upcoming post about readers’ memories, thoughts, and anecdotes on institutional cuisine. I have heard some wild stories, and personally seen a few myself. The tales range from gross and unappetizing to delicious and heartwarming. I have never been so excited to write a post.
Secondly, I am going to ask you, as the reader, to do a bit of thought. How have you interacted with institutional food – as an eater, as a worker, as an employer, or in other ways? What carries over into your home cooking, into restaurants, and into your food preferences? And how do you relate to the people who do the labor of institutional cooking and food supply – or not?
Some resources on institutional food:
The United Food and Commercial Workers’ International Union represents food workers across North America: http://www.ufcw.org/
More than slightly related: you should listen to Episode 2 of the podcast Farm to Taberto learn about unpaid prison labor and all the problems that come with that on farms, for the human rights of prisoners, and how institutions interact with our food system. Dr. Sarah Taber is awesome, too.
One of the most fascinating places in the New York area is the 5:04pm train from Hartsdale, in the posh suburbs of Westchester County, to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. On the train, you will see many black women boarding, most of whom are returning to the Bronx from their day’s labors as domestic workers in Scarsdale, Bronxville, Greenburgh, and Eastchester. The conversations meander from politics in the countries of the Caribbean – many of the women hail from Trinidad and Jamaica – to celebrities to the toils and tribulations of their job. Oftentimes, the topic is cooking: what they had to cook for the children, for the parents, for a party, or for a Shabbat dinner. You may even hear mentions of “matzah ball soup” or “kugel.” Many of these dishes are Ashkenazi Jewish – for many of the employers are Jewish.
Black women have worked as domestic labor in some Jewish kitchens for two centuries. In the post-war suburbs of America and South Africa, where many Jews who were white moved after World War II, wealthier families were able to hire workers, mainly black women, for domestic tasks. In the South, Ashkenazi Jews assimilated into Southern whiteness and also employed black servants – and before the Civil War, some owned slaves. A similar process occurred with Ashkenazi Jews in South Africa, and with white Sephardic Jews in the Dutch Caribbean. Black domestic workers and slaves before that – and other household staff who were people of color – were overwhelmingly not Jewish (with some rare exceptions). For the sake of this piece being focused, I will be focusing on the experiences of white Ashkenazi Jews and non-Jewish black workers – given that the experiences of white Sephardim and Ashkenazim of color have whole different dynamics. In any case, this history of interaction is strong and complex enough – from day domestic workers in Haredi Brooklyn to housekeepers in Los Angeles – that a thorough investigation could produce far more written work than this simple article.
Unfortunately this history has been used as fodder by anti-Semites. The cases of abuse – too common for domestic workers generally – in which Jews have done wrong are blown up, and false narratives about Jews have been cover for very anti-Semitic things. This, however, should not be used as an excuse to not examine how domestic workers live and act in Jewish spaces, nor how some Jews have sometimes had access to whiteness. And, in the latter case, we also must note how employing domestic labor was part of Ashkenazi or Sephardi Jews accessing whiteness. We have to be able to confront anti-Semitism as a real thing, and acknowledge and work with the fact that some Jews have white privilege and class privilege while still being oppressed as Jews, and other groups (women, queer people, disabled people, and others), without losing our minds. This is not only to write Jewish history by the custom of our ancestors, but to also think of how power dynamics shape our everyday lives.
And so we turn to the kitchen. Food is fundamentally at the center of power, in the Jewish world and elsewhere. Likewise, domestic labor is closely connected to and often comprises food preparation. What happens when these intersect in the Jewish kitchen? The result is that domestic workers have had varying degrees of influence and interaction with Jewish cooking. When combined with racial dynamics between white Ashkenazi Jews and black employees, it then seems that in the course of Jewish access to whiteness, black domestic workers come to play a role in the Jewish kitchen.
Anecdotally, at least, this role is well confirmed: it is by the hands of domestic workers, often women of color, that many Jewish foods are placed on the tables of the white and wealthier members of the community. I knew this growing up in a well-off suburb in the New York area: many of my classmates at school had families who employed housekeepers that often made traditional Ashkenazi dishes – particularly the labor-intensive ones – for Shabbat dinners and festivals. The families were almost always White or read as such, with a few East Asian spouses. The housekeepers were almost always black, and generally from the various Anglophone islands of the Caribbean. Hence holishkes, stuffed cabbage, brisket, or matzoh balls in these wealthy suburbs, and in well-off Jewish households across the country, are made by the hands of black, non-Jewish women. And, of course, in South Africa I had met many black women who cooked Jewish food for their employers – especially as it is far more common for well-off families to have domestic workers there. The Jewish community in South Africa tends to be wealthy and is almost completely White – and part of their assimilation and access to white privilege was employing domestic workers. Both my parents, and many other South African Jews who grew up in the apartheid era, ate Ashkenazi foods cooked by black women, and even today this pattern is quite common.
When I thought of this piece, I asked around to friends from other parts of North America – and from South Africa – for their experience in this matter. The stories came in. One friend told me on Twitter that he grew up convinced that stuffed cabbage was a Southern tradition, because his grandmother’s black housekeeper made it when he was a child, and apparently well at that. Another reader, daughter of a working-class Haitian immigrant to Miami, told me about her mother’s love for chopped herring, found while working as a home aide for an elderly German Jewish man. The good folks of the Writing the Kitchen group on Facebook directed me to literary references and their own memories of black domestic workers cooking in Ashkenazi kitchen – including literary references. South African and American friends sent me documents from Orthodox rabbinical authorities explaining what employers must tell their domestic workers – assumed to be not Jewish! – about a kosher kitchen. (This American one from the Orthodox Union is especially cringe-worthy.) Friends and colleagues from Texas and Southern California, meanwhile, pointed out that many of the domestic workers laboring there were indigenous Mexicans from the state of Michoácan – and they carry their own experience and interactions. So clearly the idea that black women and other women of color are cooking Jewish food for white, wealthy employers is something that is known in the Jewish community.
Yet this contribution – if limited to the upper echelons – is under-documented. Yet it does show up in histories of the Jewish South and the Jewish Caribbean. Some historians have recalled from their own childhoods the black cooks and nannies who often made Jewish foods that their white Jewish employers cherished but could not cook – for example, Robin Amer’s recollection of Dee Dee Katz in her family’s kitchen. Others noted that many black domestic workers took home Jewish dishes to their own families – or, more frequently, introduced white Jewish families to Southern dishes. Hence Michael Twitty has noted the presence of herring and grits or matzoh-meal-coated fried chicken in the Jewish canon of the South – in no small part from the domestic workers that many white Jewish families employed. In South Africa, employing black domestic workers was a sign of status in the white middle class, and many Jewish families did so. There too, many memoirs and historians note the culinary role of this labor. But when it comes to writing Jewish culinary history, or Jewish history at all, this aspect disappears alongside the less savory aspects of a communal rush to whiteness among Ashkenazim.
Cooking was not and is not glamorous work. It is all too easy as a food blogger – and I mark myself guilty as charged here as well – to forget that for most of history making food was a backbreaking, never-ending task. In many cases, it still is. To employ someone to do this task for you was not only a marker of being able to afford such a service, but a strong marker of power: that you were able to access enough privilege to have someone else do the labor of cooking for you. This is a very material consequence of Ashkenazi Jews becoming white: even if they were “liberal,” to have a black domestic worker making Jewish food was itself deeply embedded in the politics of power. (There is no easy way out of these dynamics, as the French theorist Michel Foucault noted, and certainly not in food, because food is a product of labor.) Even in the post-war era, with machines and shipping to reduce the labor of cooking – never forget that “Slow Food” is a deeply forgetful movement – the long hours and difficult work of cooking many traditional Jewish dishes has often in wealthier circles still fallen to black domestic workers. In the United States and South Africa alike, this fact is reflective of a power dynamic that wealthy Ashkenazi Jews have just enough whiteness to perform ethnic consumption while avoiding some of the labor behind it. (Of course this leaves out the less wealthy Jews, the majority, who did not employ domestic help.) Given that Jewish food is often used as a marker of authenticity, or as a point of continuity, it should thus be said that the labor of these black women – often unacknowledged – was responsible for forming the next generation of Jewish culture.
And here we have a lesson about the dignity of labor and the sometime whiteness of Jews. Even as Ashkenazi Jews in the United States and South Africa faced anti-Semitism, they were also able to – if they could afford it – benefit from whiteness and offload the actual labor to domestic workers who were often black. Then the benefits of authenticity in a remnant culture increasingly accepted as “European” were frequently accessible without the hard work – as well as the collective memory of dishes that were often only eaten on the most festive of occasions in Europe. Those less wealthy could also benefit from occasional whiteness, but often simply did not make labor-intensive foods often – it was not that they did not care for authenticity, but that the labor and ingredients to make foods like lebkuchen, ptcha, gedempte fleish, and kreplach simply cost too much to be anything more than an occasional treat. In many ways then the continuation of Jewish cuisine – always limited by class – was possible partly due to the whiteness of its progenitors, and the labor of the black women they employed.
Some black domestic workers probably took Jewish foods they cooked for their employers home to their families – given that this occurred more generally with other white employers, it is a safe assumption. (If anyone can find documentation of this, let me know!) And in turn, many Jewish employers in the United States were introduced to the food of the black South from their employees. Cornbread and collard greens became staples across the Ashkenazi South, and many Jewish families incorporated grits into their daily routine. In South Africa, mielie pap and stampmieliesbecame the childhood favorites of many a South African Jew who grew up in the 1950s – despite strong societal condemnations by whites of eating the food of black South Africans. And then, today, there is another trend which I see: many young Jews who grew up in the New York or Boston areas were babysat by Haitian, Trinidadian, and Jamaican immigrants – and resultantly have a strong domestic memory of and preference for West Indian and Caribbean food. When Ross Urken wrote in Tablet magazine about his Jamaican nanny, it sparked a conversation across social media that lay evidence for how the babysitters and housekeepers of Westchester County had an influence strong, yet unacknowledged, marked by a love for rice and beans and fry plantains.
Jewish cuisine belongs to Jews, but Jewish cuisine is as much a product of the non-Jews that have worked with or for Jews over the centuries, that have lived with us and loved us (or hated us!), that have learned from us and from whom we have learned. This split belonging is an inconvenient truth in an age when myths of nationalism and popular propriety abound in cuisines Jewish and not, but it would be a dishonor to the hands of laboring domestic workers to disregard this difficult fact: that the traditions of the Ashkenazi Jewish kitchen been maintained, expanded, and transmitted by the hands of the hardworking Caribbean women on the 5:04 train to Grand Central, stopping at Fordham.
Firstly, I would like to challenge my readers – and myself – to spend the time before Passover, a holiday of liberation, thinking about the intersection of labor paid and unpaid and underpaid and the maintenance and creation of Jewish cuisine. Who benefits? Who determines the cuisine? And how do power relations map out in the kitchen? It is patently obvious that food is political, and that the kitchen is at the same time a gilded cage and an artistic studio equipped with chains. The labor is often unrelenting, but at the same time food and its preparation can be a linchpin of power – or a reminder of oppression and domination. How do we see this in the social contexts in which Jews live and work?
To that end, here is some suggested reading on domestic labor in the Jewish culinary context, and some background on the black hands that shaped American cooking:
-“Dee Dee’s Kitchen” discusses the contributions of one black servant in a Jewish home in Natchez, Mississippi, and her mastery of Jewish cooking for a family that could not exactly cook for itself.
-Marcie Cohen Ferris’ “Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South” is not only an invaluable resource on Southern Jewish Cooking, but one of the best chronicles to date of black domestic workers’ contributions to the Jewish table. It also is one of the most honest and least fantasy-ridden depictions of the ways in which white Jews adopted Southern racial codes I have found.
-Toni Tipton-Martin’s “The Jemima Code” is not only an incredible compendium of African-American cookbooks, but also a keen analysis on the role black cooks and especially black women have played on American cuisine.
-Finally – and I am so excited for this – Michael Twitty’s The Cooking Gene, a historical cookbook of African-American cuisine. Twitty is one of the most prominent Jewish chefs out there today, and his blog Afroculinaria is a real treat.
Because domestic workers are often the most abused and under-defended workers in the United States and South Africa – and the base of a working class that is female and generally not white – I also urge you to donate to organizations fighting for their rights:
We have a common image of Western European food as bland and boring. Not spiced or subtly spiced in the hopes of bringing out a “natural” flavor or one that does not cause “excitement,” Western food is seen as nearly flavorless except in the hands of the most seasoned cooks. Many abhor it, while white nationalists and racists claim it as a heritage rather than the supposedly malodorous cuisine of “Other” groups. Even in the Jewish realm, traditional Ashkenazi food is narrated as “bland” (a patent myth). And in all this, the food of the medieval ancestors – idealized by the right, misunderstood by the left – is assumed to be much the same, save for the potato and corn from the Americas. Bland, and certainly not spicy.
But what if I was to tell you that…this was not the case? That the high cuisine of Medieval Europe more closely resembled the fragrances of Middle Eastern and Indian traditions today? That ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper permeated the tables of the wealthy? That the idealized bland cuisine of Europe would have been looked down upon by the who’s who of Medieval Europe?
For that is indeed the case.
Paul Freedman’s Out of the East: Spices in the Medieval Imagination is a revelation. The book is a holistic examination of the way that Medieval Europe was shaped and changed by the spice trade, which through circuitous means brought pepper, nutmeg, cloves, galangal and other spices from India, Indonesia, and West Africa to the (generally wealthier) tables of Europe. In Europe, a cuisine emerged of deeply spiced dishes – often referring similar ones in Muslim countries – that would resemble more closely the Indian or North African cuisine of today than any Western European forebears (save, perhaps, that of Spain). Spices touched on morality – for Protestant thinkers protested the “moral decay” spices induced – and on status – for one could show wealth with many judiciously used spices. And so too were the sweet and spicy aromas and tastes of seasonings associated with the divine – it was said that the corpses of saints smelled of cloves, as did the Garden of Eden. Indeed spices ruled the imagination – as they did politics.
Traced too are the culinary roots of modern political systems. Globalization in many ways is rooted in the spice trade that stretched to what was then the far corners of the earth, bringing cloves from Eastern Indonesia all the way to Portugal. Colonialism – and the European encounter with the New World – took off on a search for spices, and it was control over the spice trade that brought the Dutch to begin four centuries of varied power in Indonesia, culminating in colonial rule. Capitalism, in many ways, also began with the trade in spices. Though the book is about flavors of then, Freedman deftly hints at the continued consequences of the medieval hunt for certain tastes today.
Over the course of the book’s ten chapters, Freedman makes short shrift of many common myths about food and globalization. Many have always sought food from afar and to escape what Rachel Laudan poetically termed “the tyranny of the local.” To claim that today’s so-called “authentic” European cuisine has a form untouched by trade is to trade in mythmaking. Spices are proof that Europe’s food has referred to others and depended on others since ancient times, as Freedman clearly shows. In addition, European food has not always been “bland” or dependent on herbs for flavor. Once upon a time, the high cuisine of France and England was also spicy and pungent and peppery – and bland was certainly not a flavor pursued before the abnegations of the Protestant Reformation. And then there is this matter of medieval European cuisine: it was not always the same, and it was never solely rooted in Europe. What we consider modern French or European cuisine only arose in the seventeenth century, and the knights and dames of the High Middle Ages would probably feel more at home with Moroccan or Palestinian food than what white nationalists or anti-globalists seem to call their heritage today.
In a time when white supremacists seek an idealized and fake medieval “authenticity” to justify their disgusting aims, Out of the East is a reminder of a cosmopolitan medieval world. Not to say that racism didn’t exist – it certainly did, as did strange myths about the people of the lands from which spices came. Rather, it was that the knights and nobles of Europe in the Middle Ages looked far afield for inspiration, for thought, and to furnish their tables. It was not home cooking that was seen as worthy of celebration, but rather one that spoke of networks reaching across the Earth. Meanwhile, those of lower rank in the medieval hierarchy sought to imitate the elite with similar spicing – such that pepper, a plant grown in India, became common. Muslim Arabs may have been a theological opponent, but in every way the culture was dependent on them – much as we in the United States eat indigenous foods like corn and rely on immigrant labor today. Some things never change, and some things always go against nationalist histories.
What implications does this history have for discussing Jewish cuisine? Firstly, we may need to reconsider what medieval Ashkenazim considered “typical” of high Jewish cuisine. This step goes beyond remembering that potatoes only arrived in Eastern Europe in the late 18th century – rather, it indicates that what “good eating” looked like, even for the poor, was vastly different from today. The black pepper of Lithuanian Jewish cooking and the tang of many Hungarian dishes is a remnant of what once may have been a highly festive cuisine – and, if Gil Marks’ z”l research is any indication, certainly was. Secondly, we also can better understand now as well the ways in which Sephardic cuisine differs from that of Spain – in that many of the spices were kept in exile even as Spain moved on to different flavorings in the modern era. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it is a reminder that Jewish cuisine went under exactly the same influences as other cuisines – and is as much a product of trade and interchange as it is of preserved tradition. | {
"date": "2021-07-23T22:56:13Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046150067.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20210723210216-20210724000216-00397.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9722934365272522,
"token_count": 19274,
"url": "https://flavorsofdiaspora.com/category/reflections/"
} |
Finding renewed interest through gained understanding.
Many „happy couples“ portrayed on social media marketing you live having a troubling key: little if any intimacy that is sexual. This, in specific, is a significant problem that is hidden ladies. And amid most of life’s needs additionally the white sound that is sold with them, reasonably few speak about it.
My female customers let me know that lessened or totally lost sexual interest is a growing challenge for them. Researcher Sheryl Kingsberg explains that sexual drive could be the biological element of desire, that is mirrored as spontaneous interest that is intimate sexual ideas, erotic dreams, and daydreams.
While guys are generally speaking more easily physiologically stimulated than females, low desire that is sexual in males also. Minimal libido is perhaps perhaps not limited to gender, intimate orientation, race, or virtually any demographic. Non-binary people demonstrably can struggle with lowered sexual interest since well. Lowered sexual interest can cause stress in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. On this page, nonetheless, we shall concentrate on low libido in ladies.
Points to consider
- You may necessarily lie outside the norm for people at your stage in life — although your frequency preference differences may cause relationship issues if you want to have sex less often than your partner does, neither one of.
- During the exact same time, even though your sexual interest is weaker than it used to be, your relationship might be more powerful than ever.
- There’s absolutely no secret frequency that defines sex drive that is low. It differs from one individual to another.
The observable symptoms of Minimal Sexual Interest in females< „Three Big Main Reasons Why Ladies Drop Libido“ weiterlesen | {
"date": "2020-03-31T18:38:17Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370503664.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20200331181930-20200331211930-00281.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9427371621131897,
"token_count": 356,
"url": "http://topfoodsfinest.com/?cat=829"
} |
Note: This piece is the extended version of a sermon I’m giving today at The Abbey church. After some gentle nudging from my partner Benjamin (shout out to him and all those who wade patiently through the convulsions of writerly ego), I realized its original form was too unwieldy and theoretically dense for a sermon, so I pared it down. I’m posting it here in its extended (original) version, since it translates better in written form. The video version is the simplified, sermonified version which works better for listening.
Hello beloved community. If you aren’t yet familiar with this face, my name is Celine and I’ve been selecting or writing poems each week as the Abbey’s poet in residence. I’m honoured to share some thoughts with you today, on Transfiguration Sunday, from where I am on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories.
Shortly after Rob asked me to preach, I was talking to my neighbour, who as far as I know is not a religious person. She asked me what I would be preaching on, and I was faced with the daunting task of explaining the transfiguration story to someone whose familiarity with the Bible or with Christianity for that matter was completely unknown. Well, not completely: we had shared some neighbourly talks in the summer by the firepit, where her partner spoke candidly about his trans daughter, and pain surrounding the lack of queer acceptance in the church—which I deeply empathized with, more than I could say at the time. So there was that memory still reverberating in my body.
I fumbled my way through a synopsis of the Scripture passage: something about Christ on the mountain, and Moses and Elijah, and a moment of Divine revelation. “I think I’ll preach about bodies, and embodiment,” I told her. “There’s been a lot of denigration of bodies in the dominant Christian tradition, and I want to talk about how bodies are important, bodies are sacred, and this is embodied, quite literally, in Jesus—and especially in this story.”
Perhaps I could have added: Bless the trembling bodies and the traumatized bodies. Bless all the bodies still ringing with the bell of grief.
I’ve always found the transfiguration a strange and compelling story: Jesus takes three disciples up to a high mountain, which marks a liminal place, an in-between place between heaven and earth. The text tells us that he is transfigured before them: his clothes become luminous, and Moses and Elijah appear to speak with him. God’s voice comes from behind a cloud, naming Jesus as God’s son. The transformation is, however, transient: Moses and Elijah disappear, along with the holy glow, and on the descent, Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone what happened until after he is resurrected. It is a story of contradictions, a moment of sublime mystery and intimate secrecy, of partial revelation, of now-and-not-yet. Since the transfiguration prefigures the full disclosure of Jesus’ divinity through the resurrection and ascension, it is, in James Miller’s words, “a key moment of transition: a transformative moment in which a fragment of divine truth is disclosed.” With all its distilled drama, the transfiguration is a synecdoche, a microcosm for the life of Jesus as a whole: the mystery and magic of divine embodiment, of the Creator dwelling with creation. Or, as in the book of John, which eschews the transfiguration story for poetic pronouncements, “the Word becoming flesh.”
In the transfiguration, we see the exaltation of Jesus in his fleshly, body, his earthy and earthly body: his body that touched those deemed untouchable, fed the hungry, restored the reviled, and rebuked the rich, his human body that felt hungry, tender, and weary, his political body, a brown-skinned ethnic minority living under militarized imperial occupation. Before the Cartesian mind-body split, before Constantine and Christian supremacy, before colonial racial hierarchies and scientific rationalism, Jesus shows us what Mihee Kim-Kort calls the sacrament of bodies: that “our bodies are sites for healing, for meaning making, for transformation—in other words, for salvation.” God does not meet us in some otherworldly plane, but in our bodies. God meets us in our sore backs and our bandaging of bruised knees and our roughened hands from doing the dishes. God meets us in the transitioning and transforming of our bodies through age, gender, birth, and illness. Knowing and attending to our bodies, and the bodies of others: this is holy work.
Bless the tender bodies, the transitioning bodies, the intersex bodies, the non-binary bodies. Bless the bodies longing for touch. Bless the bodies lonely and alone. Bless the bodies that live between worlds.
Brian G. Murphy and Shannon Kearns see the transfiguration as “the moment when Jesus shares what he truly is with the people that are closest to him,” a kind of coming-out moment, and this coming-out contains worlds, multitudes, paradoxes: it is as much secretive, scary, and partial as it is liberating. The disciples are terrified, transported, trembling. They are unprepared for this Divine drag show, this binary-bridging, boundary-bending body that disorients and dazzles. If the moment had a soundtrack, it might look like the music video for “It’s Okay to Cry”, a song by recently passed trans pop artist SOPHIE, in which they appeared publicly for the first time, singing emotively in red lipstick in front of a background of shifting cloudscapes.
If you can’t already tell, I love how unavoidably queer the transfiguration story is. Judith Butler writes about how drag is a subversive act in how it troubles the gender binary. Put another way, the disruption of normative gender can be seen as an act of prophetic imagination. Let me give you an example of this. During Epiphanytide, I watched Against the Grain Theatre’s version of Handel’s Messiah, and in one solo, tenor Spencer Britten struts in heels down the rainbow crosswalks of Davie Street as he sings “the crooked paths made straight.” It is a take irresistably cheeky and gloriously gay, a transgressive re-interpretation of canon, a playful questioning that articulates the boundless fluidity of queer possibility. In Jesus’ case, he embodies what Kwok Pui-lan terms the “‘hybrid concept,’ the ‘contact zone’ or ‘borderland’ between the human and the divine, the historical and the cosmological, the Jewish and the Hellenistic, the prophetic and the sacramental.” Despite Western Christianity’s heavy-handed dogma of disembodiment for purposes of colonial and capitalist domination, hand-in-hand with other powers and principalities like heterocispatriarchy and white supremacy, the embodiment of Jesus still reverberates with radical potential. The body of Jesus is one that, in Edward Said’s words, houses the unhoused, decentred, exilic, and migrant. Said is describing the energy that animates liberation; we might call it the Holy Spirit. This body is between homes and between languages: counter, spare, strange, sacrament. Jewish theologian Susannah Heschel depicts Jesus as a theological cross-dresser, unsettling the boundary between Judaism and Christianity. In the transfiguration story, we see the exaltation of Jesus’ hybrid body, his transgressive body, his borderland body. It shows us that queer folks now have essential wisdom to share about God and embodiment. God reveals Godself in bodies that disrupt the norms and transgress the lines. Paying attention to the prophetic gift of queerness: this is holy work.
Bless the queer bodies that transgress imagination and transmute new futures into being just by breathing. Bless the trans femme bodies and the blistered-heel-but-head-held-high bodies, bless the sex worker bodies and the night shift nurse bodies and the drug using bodies and the sober bodies. Bless the disabled bodies, the aging bodies, the menstruating bodies, the chronically pained bodies. Bless these bodies changed and changing, familiar and strange, ours.
Let us return to the embodiment of Jesus as a subversive and political act. The glorious glimpse of Jesus’ full self we see in the transfiguration echoes his birth. One of the most powerful examples of embodied theology is the Magnificat, one of my favourite Scripture passages, when Mary praises God and declares God’s character through what is occuring in her body. We can see Jesus following Mary’s example throughout his life and ministry, making meaning and relating to God in his body as she did. I wonder if he learned this from her: did he hear her speak while swimming in the womb? Did she raise him in this wisdom? So while on the surface the transfiguration story may seem to be all about the patriarchs, this moment recalls matriarchal memory and the power of birth: behold, Jesus is birthing something new, ushering in a new kin-dom of the lowly and the least. Dorothy Lee interprets the transfiguration as apocalyptic drama in that it reveals Jesus as bearing forth God’s glorious future—the transformation of all creation. So Jesus’ body is also a birthing body, a life-giving body that lives, dies, lives again, and in the mystery of communion, a body that feeds and sustains us.
I think about Jesus’ body being, like ours, more than two thirds water, like the earth itself, and how this transfiguration moment is also ecological, a carnivalesque unmasking of anthrocentrism and individualism, an “absorbing of self into our network of relations” (Robinson). Secwepemc land defender Kanahus Manuel, a leader in rigourous grassroots resistance to the Trans Mountain Pipeline, recently shared one of the main reasons for her lifelong dedication to the land, and why she puts her body continually on the frontlines in. She wrote about the devastation of a sacred lake in Secwepemc territory following a mining disaster in 2014. 25 billion litres of toxins spilled into a lake that had brought forth drinking water and salmon spawning, a lake named for the waters breaking during birth. As Indigenous water protectors have known since time immemorial, we are all connected. We are in our own moment of apocalyptic revelation: the Eurocene, an era of unignorable extinction and climate collapse. An embodied and transfigured theology turns us towards this truth, towards the deep waters of love and grief in ourselves. And who better to teach us about transformation than plants, trees, birds, bees, and seeds? Learning from our non-human relations — who are also made in the image of God — and from Indigenous leaders, Elders, and matriarchs: this is holy work.
Bless the bodies of water, the water that brings life. Bless the birthing bodies, the worn-out parenting collapsed-in-bed bodies, the bodies that have miscarried, the bodies misinterpreted and maligned. Bless the dissociated and dysphoric bodies, the diasporic and displaced bodies. Bless the scarred bodies, the plants, roots, and tree bodies, the sea bodies. Bless the Earth body changed and changing, familiar and strange, ours.
When I read and re-read the transfiguration story, I see not just the sacrament of bodies, the queer and hybrid and subversive body of Christ, but also, the sacred places bodies move through and inhabit. The transfiguration shows us the exaltation of Jesus’ body, which is a particular body: it is of a brown body, an occupied body, a Jewish body, a body living in first century Palestine under the shadow of empire. Jesus may not be an anti-imperial revolutionary in the sense of armed revolt or guerilla warfare, but he exemplifies to me what Cornel West calls a “jazz freedom fighter.” His embodied theology of expansive community disrupted rigid doctrines and de-stabilized the machinery of oppression. And in the transfiguration, Jesus enacts fugitive ceremony. Jesus’ reclamation of hallowed ground and communion with his ancestors is a similarly destabilizing act, prophetic resistance to the geographic dominion of Rome. In the transfiguration story, the land has power and agency. The land holds ancestral memory deeper than the flags of the conquerors, the domain of the dominators, the border walls and checkpoints of the colonizers. Even Peter, who is not a disciple known for his tact or eloquence, recognizes this, in his own fashion: he offers to build three tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, so convinced is he of their physicality. The ancestors are not spectral beings but fully present and material, and their own transformed and transformative histories are revealed as intertwined with Jesus’ own, on this holy mountain.
Three years ago, on a rain-drenched May afternoon, I ascended Lhuḵw’lhuḵw’áyten, known in English as Burnaby Mountain, which in the Squamish means “the place where the bark gets peeled in spring.” The Squamish name reflects the significance of cedar, the Coast Salish tree of life. I was visiting the Watch House built by Tsleil-Waututh land defenders near the construction route of the Trans Mountain pipeline. One of the Elders welcomed me and told me to introduce my own ancestors to those of the territory, and inside the hushed wooden structure, I closed my eyes and thought of all the unnamed ancestors whose lives gave me life: the migrating Hakka, the river-aged Fujian folk, my own ocean-traversing grandparents. I thought of the Elders I knew in the Downtown Eastside who told me to be brave. I thought of land stolen and treaties broken. It was here, on this holy mountain, where I was arrested blocking the entrance to the pipeline construction site. I was one of more than 200 people arrested that spring, moved by the calls from Indigenous leaders to put our bodies on the line, a tangible act of settler solidarity, love for the land, and decolonization. This is actually how I met Rob – turns out getting arrested together can be a solid basis for friendship. We had been participating in a day of action for people of faith. I still remember the pounding of my heart as the police approached, the absolute stillness in my body, every cell watchful and expectant. I still remember the pounding of my heart as the police approached, the absolute stillness in my body, every cell watchful and expectant. It was one of the most revelatory, transformative, prayerful moments I’ve ever experienced.
I tell this story because I think it’s important to name that an embodied theology demands active transformation: of ourselves and beyond ourselves. It demands for us to centre those whose embodiment is threatened by the logic of dominance, in Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza’s words. Embodiment work being done by revolutionary Black practitioners like Resmaa Menakem, Sonya Renée, and adrienne maree brown reminds us that oppression lives in the body, and so does healing and resistance. Do we recognize Jesus in the marginal bodies of our time, the racialized and targeted bodies, the policed and incarcerated bodies, the undocumented and immigrant bodies, the queer and trans and disabled bodies? How can we work to create spaciousness, justice, and joy, alternative vision, for all bodies to be celebrated, honoured, and known, as they are: holy places, hallowed ground, sacrament? In the phrasing of this Black Futures Month, free to dream, free to flourish, free to be? What are the sacred sites of queer possibility and ecological encounter, all the liminal and hybrid places where God is breaking through disembodying systems of suppression and supremacy and changing us, making us and all things new?
Today, Transfiguration Sunday, is also February 14th, the day of the Women’s Memorial March in the Downtown Eastside. The Women’s Memorial March has commemorated the lives of the Missing and Murdered women for thirty years, and it was birthed as fugitive ceremony, an act of grief and defiance and healing and love in public. This year will likely be different because of Covid: in usual circumstances, at least in the last few years, thousands walk the streets in remembrance. I think of the march as another kind of hybrid and holy place, like Jesus meeting with his ancestors on the mountain. It is a transfiguring and re-scribing of urban streets by Indigenous matriarchs and memory-keepers, a collective body as powerful and fluid and unstoppable as water itself, life everlasting. May we be so generous and generative as water in embodying God’s justice, and may you, Embodied God, break into the ordinary of our lives, meet us anew in our bodies, and so transform us, as we partake in the transforming of the world.
Works Quoted & Consulted:
- Mihee Kim-Kort, Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith
- Joseph Goh, “Moving Among Tents: Life, Sexuality and God”
- Kwok Pui-lan, Postcolonial Imagination & Feminist Theology
- Dorothy Lee, Transfiguration
- James Miller, “Transfiguration, Spirituality and Embodiment: Perspectives from Christian and Daoist Scriptures”
- Mary Ann Saunders, “What Are We Waiting For?” a sermon for Christ Church Cathedral
- Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, “And God Hovered Over the Face of the Deep: Transgressing Gender,” a sermon for Middle Church
- Edward Said, Culture and Imperialism
- Andrew Robinson, “Bakhtin: Carnival against Capital, Carnival against Power” | {
"date": "2023-05-29T22:02:22Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644913.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529205037-20230529235037-00644.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9462816119194031,
"token_count": 3853,
"url": "https://holyspitblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/14/in-exaltation-of-queer-bodies-hybrid-bodies-borderland-bodies-a-sermon-essay-for-transfiguration-sunday/"
} |
In what might be the most absurd example of political correctness – and one you might also expect from the ultra-leftist community – the city of Berkeley, California, has outlawed the use of the term ‘manhole’ and other gender-exclusive words.
Orwell would call it, ‘New-Speak.’ A violation of it would be called a ‘Thought-Crime.’ The relationship between words and thoughts is inexorably linked, and progressives know that banning words is as good as banning thoughts. After all, the inability to express ideas is as powerful a tool of expression as the ability to ban ideas themselves. And liberals don’t want you to know that men and women are different, and that concrete, unchangeable, permanent, biologically-connected genders (complete with gender differences) exist.
For example, manholes are probably called manholes because men go down into dark holes with tools to fight rats, sewer-crocs and possible Ninja Turtles, while women typically don’t. But, alas, we’re not supposed to say such a thing.
On June 16, the Berkeley City Council voted to ban gender-exclusive words like manhole, fireman, councilman, and manpower. Any word designating either gender (there are only two genders) will be banned from use in city documents. Rather than “manhole,” the hatches will be called, “maintenance holes.” Rather than “manpower,” the term will be “human effort.”
There was no discussion on the resolution, and it passed without the slightest hint of controversy.
Rigel Robinson, the council member who authored the resolution, said, “There’s power in language. This is a small move, but it matters.”
The resolution will also gender-neutralize pronouns in all city documents, replacing “he” and “she” with “they.”
Robinson continued, “Having a male-centric municipal code is inaccurate and not reflective of our reality. Women and non-binary individuals are just as entitled to accurate representation. Our laws are for everyone, and our municipal code should reflect that.”
Berkeley has a crime rate that is upwards of 99% higher than other cities throughout the United States. Violent crime in the city is 42% higher.
It would seem that Berkeley needs policemen with a stronger dose of toxic masculinity, who can bust some kneecaps and restore order in the lawless town. But instead, the city has set about to emasculate the city and neuter its language.
As always, liberals’ priorities seem to be right on point.
A CALL TO ACTION
Bringing you discernment news and commentary from a biblical, polemical perspective means it is tough out there on social media. We’re constantly getting kneecapped and constrained by tech companies who find our fidelity to the scripture and pursuit of truth to be intolerable, resulting in our reach being severely throttled.
For this reason, we ask you please consider supporting us a few different ways. The first, by liking and following our new Facebook page, our home where we share new posts and interact with our members. The second, by following and retweeting our Twitter page. The third, by signing up for our newsletter below.
And last, through direct support. You can catch our free weekly episodes of the Polemics Report by subscribing at BTWN. If you like what you hear and desire to hear more, you can get the VIP full-length version for only $5.95 per month on Patreon. Also, you get other freebies for additional monthly pledges.
Subscribe to us on Patreon here and support our ministry.
Stay informed. Subscribe Today.
When you subscribe, please add [email protected] to your contacts to ensure that your newsletter doesn’t go into your spam folder.
Enter your email address below… | {
"date": "2021-07-28T16:41:10Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153739.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20210728154442-20210728184442-00489.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.944688081741333,
"token_count": 834,
"url": "https://pulpitandpen.org/2019/07/23/berkeley-outlaws-manhole-other-gender-exclusive-words/"
} |
Solicitation, or paying for intercourse, is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a most $4,000 fantastic and as a lot as a 12 months in jail. If you might have been charged with prostitution or solicitation after participating in a “sugar relationship,” remember that you’ve important rights. Real sugar daddies won’t ask for reward playing cards, “attorney fees,” or any other sort of random charges they make up. If somebody really desires to ship you money, they’ll send it. It’s positively potential to be a sugar baby without assembly your sugar daddy although many sugar daddies will wish to meet you at some point. Only approved company accounts can reply to comments, you are capable of do this from the management panel along with your company account.
- After taking half in music for a toy drive with the Firehouse Five, Mickey has the concept that he can commerce his harmonica for the chain.
- You requested a really large variety of pages in a very quick time, inflicting issues for our server (this can happen when you hit ‘refresh’ over and over).
- We are wakeboarding’s USA made, web-direct wakeboard producer.
- Providing the embodiment of their work are the precise life tales of Umnia, Becca, Jasmine, Sunny, and Coriama.
- The biggest function is the choice to offer different subscription tiers, and create custom bundles.
- Jerkmate Cameras is the central website online isn’t fairly in all probability going to astound you almost about ends.
Huey, Dewey and Louie get up Chip and Dale one Christmas morning and open their presents, despite the precise fact that they are supposed to attend first for Daisy, Uncle Scrooge and Aunt Gertie to arrive. After the boys take their new sleds from their Uncle Donald they go sledding and have Christmas dinner in which Donald yells at them to be taught their manners. While Donald, Daisy, Uncle Scrooge and Aunt Gertie sing carols, the boys play with their new toys. Later, it is time for the boys to go to mattress and having loved the day immensely, the boys then want for it to be Christmas every day. After a few days, however, they begin to get bored with Christmas and shortly notice that daily shall be precisely the same as the day once they first made their wish.
How Did Slavery Have An Result On Education?
OnlyFans is probably then somewhat simpler because it’s easier. With FanCentro there are a lot more features open to you (which we’ll get to additional below), which might make it slightly extra daunting at first. One of the most properly liked new adult-only fan page platforms proper now.
But FanCentro more than makes up for this with its findability options. OnlyFans is fairly terrible in serving to creators to be found organically, but FanCentro’s shopping choices are straightforward to use, sturdy and fair – it’s not only for the oldest customers, but anybody who’s energetic. If you’re pondering of leaping into FanCentro, now could be undoubtedly the time to do it. In phrases of how simple the websites are to use from a customer/user standpoint, FanCentro is a lot cleaner and simpler to browse. OnlyFans doesn’t really enable for shopping, so you possibly can solely observe someone if you realize their profile link, or if you stumble upon them in the handful of promoted accounts. This does make it a little more work, however it’s actually easy to do – you don’t need to worry if you’re a technophobe. Also, it offers you extra control – if you have a problematic fan, you may have an additional degree of safety in that you can simply refuse to offer them permission, and their subscription might be refunded.
If you notice your watermarked content material being stolen and used elsewhere, each OnlyFans and FanCentro will help you to have it taken down. There are two sides to this question – how easy is it for creators to make use of, and the way straightforward is it for customers. However, in August 2021 it did announce it was banning any sexual content material, before announcing a suspension of that ban lower than per week later. It stays to be seen whether grownup content material has a future on OnlyFans. The tales and the work that every one these girls have carried out have assist formed the world amazingly and thru just this documentary I learnt so much ~ Four Stars. This is a vital documentary about how sexual need, queerness and agency are a requirement for true liberation. Accelerated as much as 200% with dFast Torrent Cloud™Enjoy the quickest obtain service with dFast.
Providing the embodiment of their work are the precise life tales of Umnia, Becca, Jasmine, Sunny, and Coriama. Her Cliteracy project opened my eyes and ideas to larger perceive the world we reside in. Probably some of the efficient areas these pages even whereas could be that a great buyer satisfaction procedure.
The Place Am I Able To Discover Legit Sugar Daddies?
When you join, FanCentro can migrate throughout all your present pictures and videos for you. The largest feature is the option to supply totally different subscription tiers, and create customized bundles. Because FanCentro also encourages you to cross-promote your other socials and pay for access to them via the FanCentro website, you open up much more potentialities of the way you’ll be able to earn cash. OnlyFans offers a geoblocking feature, which helps you to block customers from a sure a half of the world. FanCentro is seeking to probably add this function in future, however because it stands, they presently don’t. FanCentro was created in 2017, so only a 12 months after OnlyFans, and works in the same kind of method as other subscription sites.
Trademark Registration In The United States
Jerkmate Cameras is the central website isn’t fairly in all probability going to astound you nearly about ends. We are wakeboarding’s USA made, web-direct wakeboard manufacturer. We ship worldwide and make wakeboarding accessible from beginner to pro. The jerkmate subject hasn’t been used on any public repositories, but. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble every little factor you’re taking heed to, from any Spotify app on any system or platform. We’d want to recognise reported presents added with regard to menu afterwards. Probably one of many efficient areas these pages even whereas might be that a fantastic purchaser satisfaction process.
Which Has The Most Effective Features?
Both OnlyFans and FanCentro are subscription platforms primarily, so you’ll make most of your cash from the sign-ups you generate together with your fans. For example, you might want to cost $10 per thirty days for the content uploaded to your FanCentro web page, but additionally individually $5 a month for access to your private Snap account, and another $5 for a secret Twitter. If you upload completely different content material throughout these platforms you possibly can really engage your customers – and you could then get them at $15 per thirty days for a bundle for all three on special supply. If you’re beginning out along with your novice adult career then FanCentro allows you to construct a platform to share your content and generate income quick. OnlyFans has been round since 2016 and is huge – there are tens of millions of customers, and hundreds of new creators joining the location daily. It caters to a broad range of creators however is most well-known for its grownup content material. SugarDaddyForMe has a shopper score of 1.forty eight stars from 97 evaluations indicating that most clients are generally dissatisfied with their purchases.
It also follows the creators’ success with ModelCentro, a software designed to assist adult performers construct their own particular person subscription web sites. But there are a number of challengers rising in popularity, particularly with the uncertainty around whether or not OnlyFans will continue to allow adult content in the future. And OnlyFans isn’t good – there are plenty of features that other sites are adding to give creators even more choices. Just for Fans is a well-liked social media platform the place you presumably can promote your services to others through a subscription. Fanvue could also be a relative newcomer to the scene of fan web page platforms, however it has already positioned itself as top-of-the-line.
Is Jerkmate Secure Or A Scam? Beware, Read Our Evaluate First
This firm doesn’t presently have a enterprise account, if you’re the owner of the company, you presumably can open a enterprise account immediately. The content material of your review or questions mustn’t contain spam, promoting, profanity, insults. You can request being unblocked by clicking right here and finishing the shape. Both OnlyFans and FanCentro state that they provide a supportive group for creators, however in actuality, only a sort of actually follows up on that promise. As properly as the choice to browse users, FanCentro has a selection of additional features that help to make it stand out. With FanCentro, the minimal payout amount is decided by your chosen payout methodology, beginning at $50 for Paxum and $100 for direct financial institution transfers by way of ACH. Payouts are made each Tuesday, starting from the third week after you’ve been active on the site.
We cannot do much about this proper now; you must flip off your VPN to proceed utilizing the positioning. We hope to finally work on an answer for this when we’ve the sources to take action. You may be using a script or program to download pages from this web site routinely. You requested a really large variety of pages in a really short time, causing issues for our server (this can occur if you hit ‘refresh’ over and over). It’s undoubtedly value considering FanCentro as an various selection to OnlyFans if you’re simply beginning out.
After taking half in music for a toy drive with the Firehouse Five, Mickey has the concept that he can commerce his harmonica for the chain. The store closes by the point he will get there and the owner rejects it, thinking it’s not value anything, however adjustments his thoughts after hearing its music. Back at Minnie’s house, Mickey provides her the chain for her watch and Minnie gives him a case for his harmonica. Of course, the irony is that Minnie no longer has her watch—just as Mickey not has his harmonica—so the items are essentially ineffective.
It is lacking in some areas with regard to trans and non-binary people’s lives and liberation but I nonetheless suppose that it’s important viewing. Thanks Seventh Row for the rec (you ought to verify them out. Always good at highlighting good movies that in any other case would possibly get missed throughout the shuffle. Their docs recs are on a regular basis fairly good). Did you put in a browser extension that helps you obtain YouTube movies jerk mate.com or other content? If so, you’ll need to disable it when using this site, because it spams the websites you visit with faux requests. You get a message through a dating or social media app from somone providing to be your “sugar momma” or “sugar daddy.” In exchange for your affections, they’ll pay you a “weekly allowance” of a number of hundred dollars. | {
"date": "2023-06-06T03:12:10Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652207.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606013819-20230606043819-00052.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9444056153297424,
"token_count": 2447,
"url": "https://mastericecream.in/2022/06/04/onlyfans-vs-fancentro/"
} |
Sexual Assault/Violence Resources
Black Women’s Blueprint:
Resources for Trans Sexual Assault Survivors:
Department of Defense Safe Helpline for Sexual Assault Survivors: 877-995-5247; https://safehelpline.org/telephone
Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence: Women of Color and Sexual Assault
CDC, Violence Prevention:
Guides for Survivors. FORGE has published four guides specifically to address the needs of transgender and non-binary individuals who have experienced sexual abuse or assault; loved ones of trans survivors; and facilitators of trans support groups.
National Sexual Violence Resource Center:
How to listen when someone you know discloses sexual harassment or assault:
Futures without Violence:
Bryant-Davis, T. (2011). Surviving Sexual Violence: A Guide to Recovery and Empowerment.
Buchwald, E., Fletcher, P., & Roth, M. (1993). Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Harris, J. C., & Linder C. (2017). Intersections of Identity and Sexual Violence on Campus: Centering Minoritized Students’ Voices.
Bosma, A. K., Mulder, E., Pemberton, A., Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2018). Observer reactions to emotional victims of serious crimes: Stereotypes and expectancy violations. Psychology, Crime, & Law, 24, 957-977. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2018.1467910
Calhoun, L. G., Cann, A., Selby, J. W., & Magee, D. L. (2011, online publication). Victim emotional response: Effects on social reaction to victims of rape. British Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1981.tb00468.x
Rose, M. R., Nadler, J., & Clark, J. (2006). Appropriately upset? Emotion norms and perceptions of crime victims. Law and Human Behavior, 30(2), 203219. doi:10.1007/s10979- 006-9030-3
White, J. W., & Sienkiewicz, H. C. (2018). Victim empowerment, safety, and perpetrator accountability through collaboration: A crisis to transformation Conceptual model. Violence Against Women. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801217743341
RESEARCH & PREVENTION (middle school and high school)
DeGue, S., Valle, L. A., Holt, M., Massetti, G. M., Jatjasko, J. L., & Tharp, A. T. (2014). A systematic review of primary prevention strategies for sexual violence perpetration. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(4), 346–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AVB.2014.05.004
Koss, M. P., White, J. W., & Lopez, E. C. (2017). Victim voice in reenvisioning responses to sexual and physical violence nationally and internationally. American Psychologist, 72(9), 1019–1030. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000233
POOR RECORD OF PROSECUTING SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES (video lecture with Linda M. Williams, Director, Justice and Gender-Based Violence Research Initiative):
Statement from APA President Dr. Jessica Henderson-Daniel regarding sexual assault:
Some of the coverage that included content from President Henderson Daniel’s statement or from APA’s efforts to connect reporters with member psychologists:
Est. audience 3,106,205
New York Times: When the News Itself Is a Form of Trauma
Est. audience 25,617,333
Est. audience 25,617,333
New York Times: Memory’s Frailty May Be Playing Role in Kavanaugh Matter | {
"date": "2019-03-22T06:39:52Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202635.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20190322054710-20190322080710-00334.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.7113471031188965,
"token_count": 853,
"url": "https://www.div17.org/resources/social-justice-resources/sexual-assault-violence-resources/"
} |
But Shanker was quick to add that “it’s our responsibility as advocates to utilize the data to improve the health of our community. This report is a roadmap that can direct resources and programs where they are needed the most.”
The data revealed in the assessment is daunting. Most troubling was the data that more than one in three LGBTQ Pennsylvanians — 35.4 percent — believe most of their healthcare providers do not have the medical expertise to appropriately and accurately address their health needs as an LGBTQ person.
Other worrying data revealed the extent that LGBTQ people are isolated from help and support. At a time when the pandemic has isolated young (25 and under) LGBTQ people as well as elderly LGBTQ people (60+) more than their cis het peers, the report noted that nearly one in five LGBTQ Pennsylvanians say they rarely or never get the emotional support they need (19.5 percent).
Worse still is the detail that seven in ten LGBTQ Pennsylvanians have experienced a mental health challenge in the past year (72.9 percent), yet only four of those seven are receiving mental health counseling or treatment.
In 2019, PGN did a three-part series on LGBTQ domestic violence. In 2020, PGN reported on the increase in hate crimes against LGBT people being disproportionate to their demographic. According to the FBI and Uniform Crime Report on hate crimes, nearly one in five of such crimes now has an LGBT victim.
The assessment confirms those findings for Pennsylvanians: Almost four in ten LGBTQ Pennsylvanians have experienced violence from a family member, partner or spouse (37.1 percent), and nearly a quarter have experienced violence based on their LGBTQ status (23.7 percent). LGBTQ Pennsylvanians of color, as well as transgender, non-binary or genderqueer respondents are even more likely to experience violence on all levels.
The report provides ten recommendations to better inform and prepare healthcare providers, community-based organizations and policy makers about the health needs of LGBTQ Pennsylvanians.
Christina Graham Brasavage, data and evaluation manager at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center said, “These results should help inform evidence-based practices and policies that seek to reduce health disparities for LGBTQ Pennsylvanians.”
Data collected through the Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment is used by public health professionals and LGBTQ organizations to develop programs designed to address health disparities in the LGBTQ community; mobilize support for such programs; and fuel advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels.
Graham Brasavage added that the significance of the data in the report cannot be overstated, stating “We have the incredible opportunity to put the data and findings back in the hands of the community.”
Throughout the Trump administration, significant efforts were made to restrict access to healthcare providers and health insurance for LGBTQ people. This assessment underscores how damaging that has been for the community overall.
The breadth of the findings released in the comprehensive new statewide report are alarming, particularly given the tenuous nature of healthcare access during the pandemic, which has been surging in Pennsylvania since mid-November and has reached its highest levels this week. The new report is the second statewide survey from the Bradbury-Sullivan Center, the health department and PHMC.
In 2015 and 2016, the survey was piloted in several regions. A record 6,582 LGBTQ Pennsylvanians from 913 zipcodes across 64 of the state’s 67 counties completed the survey. Included were cancer screenings, mental health challenges, HIV and STIs and overall access to care.
The survey also comprehensively measures LGBTQ health challenges from tobacco, alcohol and other drug usage, which are disproportionate within the LGBTQ community.
An extraordinary aspect of the assessment is the inclusion of real data on intersex individuals, who are routinely underserved by healthcare providers. The assessment included the largest known sample of intersex health challenges in any state.
The work the Bradbury-Sullivan Center is doing for LGBTQ health is critical now more than ever as healthcare has been defined by COVID-19 for nearly a year. LGBTQ people are already less likely to reach out to the healthcare system, as PGN reported in a series in 2019. And even cis het people have been reluctant or fearful to access medical care during the pandemic.
Shanker notes that the assessment is “the most comprehensive LGBTQ community health data in the US. The statistics provide vital and significant data on LGBTQ health,” and adds that “No other agency has been able to collect this kind of data in the US.”
The 2020, 2018 and 2016 health assessments are available at www.livehealthypa.org/lgbt. | {
"date": "2021-07-27T17:55:16Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153474.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20210727170836-20210727200836-00534.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9692739248275757,
"token_count": 964,
"url": "https://www.penncapital-star.com/civil-rights-social-justice/health-assessment-shows-disparities-in-pa-s-lgbtq-community-analysis/"
} |
(the very latest programme infos and schedule are attached as pdf document at the bottom of this article )
The week of SATB activities are also included in the program: Education and Action Week against Racism and Anti-Semitism At some point during the activities, there will be a meeting with Emmaus association who work with the homeless and work autonomously to fight against bad housing and also a visit to La Bagagerie which is an innovate voluntary project in downtown Marseille which offers homeless people the chance to leave their belongings in a safe locker for the day, in order that they can more easily socialise and integrate, without worrying about their possessions as well as not being singled out for discrimination.
arrival of SATB participants in Marseille with discussion about upcoming activities and presentation of the l’Embobineuse space and its organization by Blandine Voineau.
Mardi 20.03 Welcoming SATB meeting at 16:00 .
Mercredi Matin 21.03 : Visit to Le Dernier Cri Satb meet Pakito and Korine at LDC print ateliers, shop and gallery in the Belle de Mai area . Presentation by LDC founder and master print maker Pakito Bonino. Meeting with the local residents who will be participating in the following two days of workshops and discussions.
12:00 Repas - l'Embobineuse with Magdi Rejichi
13:00 Compagnie Peanuts Scapegoat workshop at l'Embobineuse
16:00 Visit to le Jardin du Couvent + Atelier Botanique et Naturopathie cueillette des plantes pour la cuisine du lendemain (Contact: Alice Hélène)
Jeudi 22.03 09:00 SATB Collective Cooking Action in "La Cantine du Midi"
The association En Chantier in the Belle de Mai area of Marseille is engaged in many food and cultural workshops and facilities.They want to create solidarity behaviours, the respect of human beings and the environment in a way of individual and collective responsibility based on empowerment values, « we pay attention at the involvment of people, by using food to reach this goal ». La Cantine du Midi is the main activity of this organization and preparation of the daily lunch is based on workshops and voluntary participation. This year, they are developing a market stall activity for regional products. En Chantier also has a mobile kitchen organising workshops in various places to sensibilise children, teenagers, families towards healthy food.
Lunch at La Cantine du Midi
15:00 Scapegoat Workshop Part II Magdi atelier cabane metamentale Jérome.
During their visit in Marseille, the participants will participate in two days of workshops / meetings with the inhabitants of the Belle de Mai. These inhabitants have already taken part in several cultural action projects offered for two years now at the lEmbobineuse. During these sensitization workshops and meetings, the European participants will exchange with the habitants.
The "Ultra Mental Hut" will take place in the living rooms of 4 local district inhabitants. The proposal is for a maximum of five of the Step Across the Border guests to sleep for one night with their hosts and exercise a "meta-mental session". This will be an occasion for a privileged exchange, for those who make this experience, and they will be able to return to the group with new life experiences and inspirations. Additionally, From Tuesday till Friday there will be collectively organised daily sessions and encounters. The activities will be filmed by Mohamed Ali Ivessee for documentation
We will conduct these workshops with different supports and we explore several techniques and materials to expose these slices of life. Under the creative guidance of Compagnie Peanuts directors, Magdi and Felix and Marseille video artist Jerome Fino, we will develop a multimedia presentation together with the loacl and SATB participants. The final presentation will use music and video in order to structure a dialogue.
The whole project will be followed by a group focused on the documentation of sound. At the end of the workshops and meetings, they will produce a documentary which will testify both to the development of the project (its implementation, its development, its twists and turns, the artistic, pedagogical, cultural and ethical questions it may raise), individual narratives of participants, as well as productions from these workshops e.g booklet and CD.
The sound material for this documentary will come out of:
- sound recordings made during the workshops
- individual interviews, apart from workshops, with, the European participants, the speakers (artists), the inhabitants of the area, the staff of the lEmbobineuse.
- recordings of the readings aloud during the workshops and during the public meetings.
This documentary will be published on audio disc accompanied by an explanatory booklet and will be presented during the evening of restoration of the Marseilles week. Each participant will receive a full copy of the recording. The recording will also be broadcasted on local public radio.
Vendredi 23.03 19:00 Compagnie Peanuts "Scapegoat - Step Across the Border"
Workshop Results & Open Discussion
La Livery – (Au revoir Mafaldas place!) 4 rue Duverger 13002 Marseille
Public presentation of audio visual material, booklet and open discussion together with workshop participants followed by performance from the la Fêlûre collective and concerts by local and international artists - everyone welcome!
Dj Coost Lardy Cake (UK/Berlin) Mishima Mp3 Disco
Samedi 24.03 17:30 Projection "Face de bouc (émissaire)" (2017) by Jerome Fini et Projection "Les gracieuses " (2014) documentary by Fatima Sissani
Le Gyptis, 136, rue Loubon 13003 MARSEILLE, P.A.F : 5 / 6 euros
"Face de bouc (émissaire)" was produced In November 2016 at l'Embobineuse whereby, Compagnie Peanuts solicited the inhabitants from ' the Belle de Mai'' area to create a collective exhibition of the Scapegoat effect..
During these workshops, the participants gave testimony's of their own experiences as being victimised as well as taking and adapting extracts from established literary works that also suit the myth of the Scapegoat. By using playful and creative expressions, around this theme, participants could begin to introduce the 'I' within the collective process . This documentary tries to make us experience the group ambiance, and the different steps of the work up to finalization of a video at the ''Maison départementale de la solidarité''.
'Les gracieuses' Six young woman, close to their thirty's are all born in the same building of the '' la cité des Mordac'' at Mordacs à Champigny Sur Marne, best suburban. They have never left watch other since their birth. a fusional relationship. they tell, happy and quick, this friendship close to Love and also identity,social classe relationships,the spatial and social relegation. The film will be followed by a debate to question social inequalities in the different european neighborhoods.
The evening continues with Step Across the Border (Berlin/London/Marseille) at lEmbobineuse with discussion, concert, performance and Dj sets......
Step Across the Border @ l'Embobineuse
20:00 : Open Discussion & food for donations s'il vous plait
21:00 : Evening in partnership with the "Biennal des écritures du reel''.
Dj Lyon (Reboot FM / Berlin) : Dubwise Dance Tunes
DJ Lyon from reboot.fm/Berlin is one part Lisa & Lyon mixing dubfull underground music and is influenced by her former employer the Hardwax record store. She supports the female:pressure network and was involved in the female:pressure Facts Studie 2017 which cares about the visibilty of female, transgender and non-binary artists in the fields of electronic music and digital arts.
No Style Fuckers (Berlin) "Raw Culture" plastic trash costume performance & music spectacle
viens tôt! s'habiller! faire du bruit! tout le monde souhaite participer à la performance!
Live! Derinëgolem (Tallava Acid Folk // France, Albania)
Dj Team: Acid Burrito (Hannover/Bogota) Cumbia & Latin Grooves
|lembobineuse activity plan in Marseille for SATB visit March 2018||68.25 KB| | {
"date": "2018-03-19T05:07:01Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2018-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257646375.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20180319042634-20180319062634-00658.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8800240755081177,
"token_count": 1803,
"url": "http://stepacrosstheborder.eu/article/step-across-border-edition-marseille-scapegoat-20-25-merz-2018"
} |
When I first attended the Think Big! Lead Now! Young Women’s National Leadership Summit in 2018, I was moved to tears by the solidarity, intersectionality, generosity, and brilliance represented by the group of delegates and the space that YWCA Canada was able to facilitate. It feels reductive to refer to this experience as a conference or a summit because frankly it’s way less stuffy and boring than what I think of a conference as. The Think Big! Lead Now! Leadership Summit is hard to explain if you have never had the pleasure of attending, but in a few short words, here is how I’ve tried to encapsulate it: a giant sleepover where you learn how to create change in your communities by day and drink hot-chocolate and tell ghost stories by night, a self-care retreat (think less face-masks and venti lattes, more vulnerability and therapeutic camaraderie), a networking event that dispels every negative association you have with the word “networking,” a safe space for learning and unlearning, and a weekend of radical friendship and healing. At the 2018 Summit, I made meaningful connections and gained invaluable skills to use in my work as a social worker, so when I had the opportunity to be a part of the Leadership Summit Animation Team (LSAT) for the 2020 Summit I was thrilled to get to experience this again.
Over 100 delegates attend this three-day immersive leadership summit from every province and territory in Canada, which provides a unique perspective on the challenges facing communities across the country. The diverse identities of delegates also provides an opportunity for folks to learn from each other who might otherwise not. The magic of the Summit happens when we critically examine and acknowledge our differences and make an effort to find our collective similarities. Throughout the weekend I met a marine biologist, film makers, urban planners, artists, students, teachers, writers, poets, organizers, and social workers, just to name a few, but with these and many other differences, our commonality is that we all have a desire to be leaders. While having a collective aspiration to lead, the ways our leadership manifests varies greatly.
Conversations around leadership ranged from Toronto MPP Dr. Jill Andrew giving advice on how to run for office, to lunchtime discussions how to tactically navigate family dinners with your problematic uncle. alicia sanchez gill taught us how to clap-back at racist and misogynistic microaggressions while keeping ourselves safe, and we laughed, cried, and danced during open-mic night. Through this Summit, I learned that leadership isn’t always about being at the podium giving a speech, being the one at the front of a protest, or the one directing a project. Sometimes being a leader is stepping aside and making space for others whose voices have been pushed to the margins, having the humility to recognize that someone else on your team is better suited to take the lead on this one, and educating and empowering others while you lead so that next time it will be their turn, all while keeping your values and motivation for doing this work as your compass.
In Larissa Crawford’s keynote address, she ended by sharing the following quote from Lin-Manuel Miranda:
“You cannot let all the world’s tragedies into your heart. You’ll drown. But the ones you do let in should count. Let them manifest action.”
In our current political climate, it’s easy to feel overwhelming unrest at the revolving door of oppression and injustice both globally and in our communities, but when looking around the room at the Summit and seeing over 100 young leaders manifesting action towards causes close to their hearts, that unrest transformed into hope for our collective futures.
The Think Big! Lead Now! Young Women’s National Leadership Summit is a key component of YWCA Canada’s national leadership program for young women and non-binary youth. Grounded in intersectional feminism and social justice, this three-day immersive training and networking summit is designed to equip young leaders living in Canada with the knowledge and skills to be change-makers in their communities and beyond. This year, we welcomed more than 100 youths from every province and territory in Canada who participated in seven workshops, three plenary sessions, two panels and one Feminist Salon on issues close to their hearts.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and RBC Foundation. | {
"date": "2021-08-03T21:07:24Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154471.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20210803191307-20210803221307-00388.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9552904963493347,
"token_count": 911,
"url": "https://ywcacanada.ca/news/ywca-summit-2020-making-space-for-young-leaders/"
} |
Lt. Michael Byrd of the Capitol Police is a conservative hero, but in the strictly small-c sense. People who identify with the Conservative movement in America tend to hate him, because his action did more than anyone else to stop an insurrection which would have installed Conservative politicians in a coup. What Byrd did, though, was act to conserve the institutions he was sworn to protect. If you truly believe in conservatism with all the respect for authority and adherence to societal norms that entails, you should laud Byrd as an everyday champion.
Is Lt. Byrd a conservative hero? He shot an unarmed woman that posed no threat to anyone in her immediate vicinity, including armed Capitol Police officers that were directly behind her not in another corridor as was Lt. Byrd. Nor did he ‘do the most’ to prevent an ‘insurrection’. Only last week, the FBI conceded there was no evidence of an organized attempt to mount a coup at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
What he did contribute to, unwittingly though successfully, was an end to any Congressional oversight of the administration of the 2020 US election, that might have allayed some of the suspicions that the election was not conducting according to law. Given the extent of the changes to election law largely brought about by executive orders and administrative discretion in many of the States, which is contrary to Article 1, Section 4 of the US Constitution, on the grounds of COVID, Congressional oversight was entirely justified.
Rather than destroying the equipment before leaving the country, Joe Biden decided to leave the nearly $85 billion worth of US military equipment to the Taliban.
2,000 Armored Vehicles Including Humvees and MRAP’s -75,989 Total Vehicles: FMTV, M35, Ford Rangers, Ford F350, Ford Vans, Toyota Pickups, Armored Security Vehicles etc -45 UH-60 Blachhawk Helicopters -50 MD530G Scout Attack Choppers -ScanEagle Military Drones -30 Military Version Cessna’s -4 C?130’s -29 Brazilian made A?29 Super Tucano Ground Attack Aircraft 208+ Aircraft Total -At least 600,000+ Small arms M16, M249 SAWs, M24 Sniper Systems, 50 Calibers, 1,394 M203 Grenade Launchers, M134 Mini Gun, 20mm Gatling Guns and Ammunition -61,000 M203 Rounds -20,040 Grenades -Howitzers -Mortars +1,000’s of Rounds -162,000 pieces of Encrypted Military Communications Gear -16,000+ Night Vision Goggles -Newest Technology Night Vision Scopes -Thermal Scopes and Thermal Mono Googles -10,000 2.75 inch Air to Ground Rockets -Reconnaissance Equipment (ISR) -Laser Aiming Units -Explosives Ordnance C?4, Semtex, Detonators, Shaped Charges, Thermite, Incendiaries, AP/API/APIT -2,520 Bombs -Administration Encrypted Cell Phones and Laptops all operational -Pallets with Millions of Dollars in US Currency -Millions of Rounds of Ammunition including but not limited to 20,150,600 rounds of 7.62mm, 9,000,000 rounds of 50.caliber -Large Stockpile of Plate Carriers and Body Armor -US Military HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment Biometrics -Lots of Heavy Equipment Including Bull Dozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Excavators
It’s almost like they were outfitting the Taliban on purpose.
AS nobody ever said, “when we win the war in Afghanistan…” Think about it. At no time in the last 20 years did any ‘leader’ of the defunct Coalition of the Willing – political, military or otherwise – ever speak of victory. Nor did they encourage their publics to believe victory was even desirable. It didn’t matter how many warriors were killed in action. Bushes, Blairs, Howards and Obamas didn’t envisage a grand march for the winners; they didn’t want one. When President Trump organised a long overdue Washington parade in 2019 to salute America’s long-battling heroes, DC politicians (all Democrats) were concerned the city’s asphalt would be traumatised. There is nothing shocking about the Afghanistan debacle but, rather, something tragically familiar. War without end serving crisis-addicted pretenders in government, media and corporations. The goal was never enlightened democracy – any more than the end game of the ‘pandemic’ is ‘freedom.’
For the post-Soviet superpowers (paying attention), impossibility in Afghanistan was already axiomatic in 2001. Rushing in anyway was ominous enough. But having done so, to then look upon triumph as undesirable, as something vulgar to be shunned? That was depraved. Depraved lassitude, in fact, is the leitmotif in harmonica of our time. It amplifies nihilism like Henry Fonda’s dying breaths in Once Upon a Time in the West.
In Australia, defeat might seem like the unfair result of unyielding loyalty to the United States and therefore be no great – or, at least, no particularised – disgrace. This seems to be the op-edocracy’s reading of the ‘withdrawal’ from Afghanistan – albeit that absurd versions of old doctrinal schools are now brawling for scraps about how an army should surrender and skedaddle in an elegant way. “Everyone wants to go to Baghdad,” announced moustachioed Teddy Roosevelt impersonator John Bolton in the priapic lead-up to the Iraq War, “but real men go to Iran.” It can only be a matter of time before the inverted hawks of the upside-down 20s insist that everyone abandoned Kabul but real men abandon Taipei… or Canberra.
No, Australia isn’t a hapless victim of its own dependable nature. The world isn’t a Paul Hogan skit and we’re not Strop. The Howard government committed soldiers to Afghanistan for a good cause but its successor governments kept them there for an age as a cut-price deposit for US backing in some future travail of our own. For that alone, as it happens, 43 of our finest young men died. The thinking behind the realpolitic was defensible but Australia’s unwillingness to mobilise for combat none but a small, constantly re-inserted vanguard of commandos was usurious. As for the down payment on alliance, how sure can we be that it will be honoured by a woke Pentagon in the service of a Pelosified Washington establishment?
There’s a good reason why Joe Biden hasn’t been mentioned till now: the Acting President is not to blame for the Afghanistan mess. He is responsible for the worst withdrawal and evacuation in US history. As an Endless War G.I. Joe, two-term Vice-President during the conflict and lifelong geo-strategic imbecile, Biden is by no means blameless. Those of us who remember the early years of the War on Terror also know that Afghanistan was very much the left’s Good War. The Democrats wanted George W. Bush to lose the Bad War – in Iraq – so they could regain the White House in a Nixonian fog of scandal and military humiliation. To Bush’s credit, he refused to go quietly. Note that a President in his 50s has a lot more vim for defiance than a 79 year-old whose idea of a surge is an extra scoop of choka choka chip.
Not only is there a lot of ruin in a civilisation but a lot of blame – and gradations of blame – for the ruin. When Australia formally called it a day in Afghanistan, commentators predictably opined on “our longest war.” Except it wasn’t ours – few citizens were called upon to assist in any sacrificial way – and therefore it wasn’t really a war at all. There were no petrol coupons or scrap metal drives in the suburbs. The notion that the West could fight a true war abroad while insulating for political reasons the vast majority of jaded voters was the foundational perversity of the enterprise. We lost in Afghanistan for three reasons: we didn’t want to win, we weren’t involved and – saddest of all – we’re not as morally superior to the Taliban as we used to be.
Finally, look not to Biden and the Democrats but to Scott Morrison and the Liberals for what may be the most shameful evidence of this same misanthropic pomposity: having rotated a small band of specialists into Afghanistan over and over – and over – again to kill the enemy, Liberals then facilitated an attempt to jail them for murder. The sainted Johns – Howard and Anderson – did the rotating but neither spoke up for their bloodied champions.
Climate change, benevolent sexism, lockdowns for areas without a trace of Covid-19 – this perpetual war of distraction plagues us whilst the US Embassy in Kabul tweeted a Pride flag, as the Taliban wearing little more than sandals and AK47’s in the scorching sun, readied to attack. The role of the Australian Infantry is to seek out the enemy, kill or capture him, seize and hold ground, and repel attack by day or night, regardless of season, weather or terrain. It is not to seek out the enemy, engage a diversity officer to record their gender preference, sexual orientation, and attitude to wind farms, by bike or carbon-neutral canoe. Our defence force is there to fight for freedom, but our army has been caught in the distraction, losing focus on Kabul to patrol the streets of western Sydney and the Tweed River. Brigadier Mick Garraway told Sunrise soldiers are delivering groceries and supporting police. Forget kill and capture; it’s about keeping a five-star rating as they morph into UberEats and Covid Cops. Unemployed drivers in western Sydney who can’t leave their LGA would be thrilled to be paid by the government to deliver bread and milk. The sobering issue is not terrorism or even the Taliban; our chief ally is sailing away from us. How are we going to defend ourselves in the new world? Apparently, climate policy. How do you feel about climate change? Terrible, they say as they get into their Range Rover. I can’t sleep at night, they say, as they plan their home renovations. What is the prize in winning the climate debate when the Chinese Communist Party, happy to accept delegations from the Taliban, glad to make the Taliban part of their Belt and Road Initiative, and seemingly having no problem with the change, has kept its Kabul embassy open? Most of our primary communication channels go under the South China Sea, which China believes it now owns. They have weapons to turn off our satellites. China has 50 attack submarines and four ballistic missile submarines with many more planned. We have eight submarines, and not all of them work. China has around 2100 fighter planes, attack jets and bombers. We have 110 combat aircraft. Our defence force – not offence force like China has – is not even a big day at the cricket; all our serving personnel couldn’t fill the MCG, while China’s military is bigger than the city of Adelaide. Did Senator Matt Canavan believe he was belittling the efforts of troops when he said on social media, “Does anyone know if the Taliban will sign up to Net Zero?” He issued a wake up in 44 letters only to be cancelled before he could explain the world is changing, and it’s time to understand the real threat. Senator Canavan, who went against the grain when he called for repatriation planes to rescue Aussies stuck in India, who believes Afghani’s hunted for helping Australians should get refuge, has nothing but contempt for the Taliban. However, more righteous is the ever-eloquent Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe, who told a Senate committee, “you can’t con this little black gin” , appearing on top of the cancel culture pile-on, tweeting: “What a fucking joke!!! You are disgrace!!!” Apparently, his tweet is the problem – not people dying in Kabul while our soldiers patrol the border of one Covid-free community to another. The Greens called for 20,000 visas, but Senator Thorpe took it a step further: “We need to protect and give all people seeking asylum the protection they need.” Music to the ears of a range of brutal terrorists set to embed operatives on a Boeing to Blacktown. Other MPs who have fought to bring Afghan interpreters to Australia are warned off from advocacy after intelligence investigations bring up violent terrorist links – in one case, gauging out the eyes of a six-year-old girl. According to the Greens, we need to give them a house next door to you, preferably carbon neutral. Is it climate, or a totalitarian rein that has spy ships off your coast, hacks your Parliamentary computer system and openly states it seeks to invade Taiwan, with a military bigger in number and soon to be more powerful than the United States? Seven years ago, the Arctic was supposed to be ice-free, and by 2005, children weren’t supposed to know what snow was anymore. Now the IPCC tells us global warming of 2°C will happen during the 21st century, and it’s all Canberra can think about. If the CCP launch hypersonic missiles over the horizon, you can shout, “I drive a Tesla”, “my house is carbon neutral”, “my dog is vegan”, “you will not define my gender”, “English is the language of the oppressor”. This war won’t be won with solar panels or the non-binary box in the Census. Our kids inherit our priority confusion. Afghanistan has shown us another mum is not going to offer her son to fight your war. | {
"date": "2023-06-02T08:42:35Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648465.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602072202-20230602102202-00669.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9505115747451782,
"token_count": 2939,
"url": "https://newcatallaxy.blog/tag/global-american-empire/"
} |
From Burnout to Butch Cut
Hank started Butch Cut 3 years ago, which is a sustainable community-building Berlin-based art project providing a safer space for trans and non-binary people to get haircuts, massages, and talk about mental health. Zoë from Anxiety Empire popped in for a haircut, and a chat.
Hey Hank, tell us about Butch Cut ... what is it and how did it begin?
That’s a big question! Butch Cut functions as a barber shop, but it’s also a lot more than that as there are a lot of different layers to the project...
Okay, let’s begin at the beginning. Where did it begin?
I had a mental health crisis, which was something between a burnout and depression. It was really a life crisis, and a very long-announced one as I had been trying to avoid it for a long time. I was working through all the self-care strategies that I thought might work... but none of them worked, so finally I gave up, and just broke down.
I had the breakdown in London, and after it happened I came back to Berlin. I didn’t want to come back - I had already lived here for 20 years before moving to London - but I came back because I couldn’t see a way of being able to survive and function in London, which is a much more demanding place than Berlin. So I came back to this city where I had a network and a lot of friends, and people started calling and asking me to cut their hair because that’s what I had been doing occasionally for a few friends. It was very casual, not commercial at all, and I didn’t charge any money for those haircuts. But then those people each recommended me to two other people, so suddenly I’m flooded with requests from people I’d never met before.
I’m from an activist background, so I’m in the habit of trading skills with other people, and I was familiar with ‘alternative spaces’ where people can just be, and relax, and where you don’t need to spend money and can just hang out, and whoever walks through the door is accepted with hopefully less judgement than in other places. And so it was with that background that I started giving haircuts to these people who weren’t my friends. And because I had a depression I started talking about how I was feeling... actually I kept thinking I should shut up, because I was so used to not talking about my feelings and I was embarrassed to tell people how I was feeling. But, to my surprise, people didn’t mind at all. In fact they started telling me how they were, and what was going on for them in their lives. And by the end of the haircut interestingly we both felt better. So it was like a one on one self-help group situation. That continued for a few months or so and I started to feel better. And I realised that actually it was something for which there is a big demand, and need, for. I think everyone needs it, but it’s especially needed for trans and nonbinary and queer people as there aren’t really spaces where we can just relax and be ourselves and just trust that other people are not going to say something invasive, intrusive, aggressive or make an intentionally - or unintentionally - hurtful remark. So i just realised there is a demand for spaces where people can feel safe, and then I realised i had been working with something I call ‘radical vulnerability’ which is a concept of where - instead of trying to be ‘cool’ and not show your feelings - you radically do the opposite. This was a scary thing for me to do, as I’m a butch lesbian, so I always identified as someone who is very capable at dealing with a whole bunch of crap.
You felt you had to be strong? Actually, ‘strong’ is a terrible choice of word, I’d like to take that word back...
No, ‘strong’ is a really good word actually - because it’s exactly the axis around which this thought process was turning. Because what is ‘strong’? A lot of people, especially men, are expected to behave in a certain way which is harmful to them and others, because we live in a capitalist patriarchal society. And, in a way, butch lesbians are sometimes on a similar train. Basically this idea of ‘masculinity’ in our society isn’t to do with men, but to do with domination and a societal structure built for domination, and most men simply learn to become that.
I would love if the whole world could talk about their feelings, but my mission is to provide a safe space for butch, trans and nonbinary identified queer people because a lot of these people have mental health issues - just like any other part of society - but thats who I can relate to most because I’m part of that community. I think if everyone did something positive within their social group, or within their arms reach, then the world would be a better place.
Absolutely. And this world desperately needs to become a better place.
In capitalist societies people are under enormous pressure to be productive all the time. And so when we have phases where we cant be as productive or as creative as is demanded, then we think there is something wrong with us. This denies the nature of humans, the nature of life, and actually the nature of nature - even nature has productive cycles, and recovery cycles. And as humans we are perpetually going against our own nature, which is why we get a lot of weird diseases - because we are not listening to ourselves and we are not treating ourselves well. And this has been going on for generations. Capitalism began around mid 17th century, so that’s about 370 years, which is around 12 generations of capitalism. And I would say we have 3 generations of advanced capitalism.... we are going slightly off topic....
But it is an important topic because living in a capitalist society has such a large effect on our mental health...
Since the first world war, humans have been thought of as objects on a different level than ever before - I’m not trying to neglect slavery and such things - but the functionality of humans is now measured against machines, and so we are trying to keep up with machine, which is quite unhealthy... which is quite the understatement.
So is feeling this pressure to be productive, is that what lead to your own mental health crisis?
It was a part of it, and I would say a lot of people have crisis because of this pressure. In my particular case it was also to do with growing up in a dysfunctional family which adds extra layers of not being able to cope with certain things, because I didn’t learn how to deal with them... but also being queer. So there you have the deadly triangle which would break anyone’s back! And so the good thing about having a breakdown was that when things are broken we can start to mend them. So I could look at the pieces and see that I had to try a new approach - which is a gift. It’s a wonderful thing to get that chance.
Wonderful - but scary too, isn’t it?
Yes it’s terrifying. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought I was going crazy. I thought I could never work again. I was in a very dark place, and not very well. But I say it was a gift because some people have similar breakdowns but they develop terminal illnesses or have an accident, so I’m really lucky that I had the chance to build myself up again from that. So I think that is a great thing.
And it sounds like Butch Cut was a big part of that building yourself up again, in being able to talk about how you were feeling. That’s not something you get to do in your average hairdressers...
When people come for the first time, I have an hour and half of alone-time with them, as I want to give people the time and attention they need. I use that time to build a connection, but I also use it to talk about mental health and self-care. A lot of people do start to cry in the chair, because it’s so emotionally moving for them to feel respected and accepted as they are. When I look at them in the mirror, and see them as they would like to see themselves - and then try to give them the haircut they want - and it’s a very powerful and empowering situation, and I really enjoy being able to give that to people.
It’s heart-breaking to hear that this experience of feeling respected, and accepted, is so uncommon for so many people.
Whoever is cutting our hair has power over how we’re going to look for the next 4 weeks, and that can feel threatening, and very scary. So most of the queer people who’ve come to me for a haircut told me they hadn’t been to a hairdresser in 6 or 7 years. A lot of the people are traumatised from going to a hairdresser, because they didn’t get the cut they wanted and often they felt mutilated by the hairdresser. Sometimes this is in a passive aggressive, sometimes in an openly aggressive way. Some people feel they’ve intentionally been given a bad haircut so that they won’t go back there. People have been told “No, I won’t cut your hair short because you’re a woman” or “I’m not going to cut your hair, because this is a barbershop and it’s only for men”. I’ve heard so many stories and felt shocked that people had these experiences.
It is unusual for queer people to be treated like a person, to be listened to, and to get what we want. Because we are so often told “No, you can’t do that”, “You can’t have that”, “You’re perverse”, “You’re weird”, “You’re out of the norm”, “No you’re a boy”, “No, you’re a girl”. These things become so ingrained in us, so sunk into our being on such a deep level, that a lot of people end up being silent, and don’t ask for what they want any more. They stop wanting.
I’d never really recognised this pain within myself. I’ve always felt different, and feel an outsider in most social situations, but I always attributed this to me being ‘weird’ or ‘different’, but never made the connection that it could have to do with being non-binary and gay growing up in a hetero dominated society, and that this feeling was imposed on me by others. I always felt it came from a feeling inside of me… so it’s really interesting for me to make that connection that it may come from outside of me, thank you.
I think that in a capitalist society things have to be normative to a certain extent. Only if there there are specific categories, can you control the ‘different’. The problem is if you have a category, then people can also fall out of that category - and then if you don’t fit in another category then you’re screwed. So if you live in a binary system like our logocentric western capitalist society, and you fall outside of the categories, then you are an un-being. And people can’t relate to you, and that creates in the other person (the one who is supposedly in the norm) a strong reaction which is often one of rejection or anger, or disgust. Our society creates these structures of belonging - we, us, they, them - and then excludes everyone who falls outside of the category, creating a stronger bond between the people who are inside the category. These categories work as a tool to dominate people, to rule people, and to pit people against each other. And it’s one of the reasons why a lot of queer people feel a lot of aggression towards them.
That aggression sometimes gets reduced to ‘homophobia’ or ‘transphobia’ or another ‘phobia’, but it’s not as simple as that is it?
It’s not always direct homophobia I think. When I was about 25 I realised people weren’t necessarily homophobic towards me, but they were afraid of me - because I didn’t fit into a category. They thought I was in one category, but when I got closer they realised I was in another category. And for people who think in categories, this freaks the hell out of them. And their reactions are usually anger or aggression. So I have to deal with their anger because I involuntarily triggered their insecurity. And this is not just true for queer people - you can be black and have white people react like that, or have a disability, or whatever else - when people can’t place you then they freak out. Ideally people would simply be interested in this new person, but most of the time that doesn’t happen.
Butch Cut hold events to bring people together - events like craft afternoons and clothes swaps - can you share a bit about why the events are important to you?
The Butch Cut social events are interesting as they are intergenerational. There are older lesbians sitting next to very young queers, and although they may use totally different terminologies, they love or respect each other anyway, and it’s kind of special. I really feel that intergenerational communication is lacking in our communities, and a lot of misunderstanding arises from that. And each generation has a lot to offer the next, so it’s important to have the input from the older queers. Like the leaves that fall from the trees, which nourish the earth, and help the tree to grow again. Nowadays all the leaves in the city get raked away, and so you have to wonder whether the trees are getting enough nourishment. This is a bit like the queer scene in Berlin - every 6 years or so there is a cut between one generation of queers and the next. But at the Butch Cut events people sit together and realise “Oh, you’re not a trans hating feminist just because you’re over forty. You’re actually pretty cool.” People over a certain age are in such a different political mind-frame that they often just don’t understand what is going on with the younger kids and can feel very disrespected by it. For example, lesbians over fifty fought for 30 years for women-only spaces, and for them ‘women-only’ often means people who were born ‘female’ and not trans women. And it was important at the time to have such spaces... but now it is unacceptable. So it’s very difficult to bridge those different opinions. We need to respect each other. We need more communication, so thats what I’m trying to do with Butch Cut.
That feels really important, for this section of society and society at large.
Im in a moment of being kind to myself, and learning to love myself, in order to be able to be kind and gentle with other people so we can find a basis for communication. Only then we can have proper discussions about what I think, and about what you think. Right now so many people are terribly hurt and traumatised so they cant even have a normal discussion, because people are angry and don’t want to listen. And that’s not a good basis for building community and coming together. The community has to be on a basis of trust and respect, and that has to start with myself. If I don’t respect myself then I cant respect other people. It’s very basic.
It sounds basic. But I think most people - myself included - find that process of loving and respecting ourselves quite difficult, and something which takes time. Do you actively practise self-care?
Doing Butch Cut I need at least 2 full days of self-care each week to recharge my batteries, so that I can be present with the people and give them all my energy. And this means that I purposefully have a limited amount of haircut appointments each week, as I can’t deal with more than that and remain present.
And your haircuts are paid for on a donation basis aren’t they?
Yes, I do it on a solidarity based sliding scale, so I trust that people can think for themselves, be honest, and want this project to continue to exist. If people ask me how much they should pay I suggest giving around a certain amount, but usually I try not to say anything and let people figure it out for themselves - most people are very generous and caring - and if they value the project they usually donate more than they would usually pay for a haircut elsewhere.
If you pay €100 to visit a fancy hairdresser they will probably be friendly and respectful towards you. But a lot of people from the queer community, especially trans and non-binary people, have low income and so it is out of reach for them to pay for self-care. Everyday wellness areas, such as swimming pools which usually only have ‘male’ and ‘female’ changing rooms, saunas, massage places where people aren’t trained how to be respectful of scars, nail parlours, barber shops... they often exclude trans, queer or non-binary people. For example, more often that not, trans women get a friend to do their nails at home because its too uncomfortable for them to walk into a nail bar where they may get laughed at, or stared at, or ridiculed.
Hopefully in the future all hairdressers and self-care places will be trans and non-binary inclusive and be safe places for everyone, but that’s not what the situation is right now.
What are your future plans for Butch Cut?
As an experiment Butch Cut has been a great success, and I’m excited to see, in the future, if it translates into something more long-term, or if that’s even necessary. But I think it is necessary, as people need it. So I’m thinking about how to continue the project and keep it sustainable. There has been an explosion in the prices of rent in Berlin, so if I wanted to look for a bigger space which is appropriate for the demand, and employ a couple of coworkers, then pretty quickly I would have to come up with a very different concept.
I think that this project can have a much bigger impact than just the work that I’m doing - it’s also about people realising what they can have, and then demanding it. I think it is furthering social change to just treat people like humans, and then they won’t want to be subhumans after.
Hank, you rock. We need more people like you. Big love. Anyone in Berlin who fancies a cut and chat about mental health at Butch Cut, go make an appointment via facebook.com/butchcutberlin/ | {
"date": "2019-03-23T23:46:24Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2019-13",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912203093.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20190323221914-20190324003914-00150.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9790750741958618,
"token_count": 4090,
"url": "https://www.anxietyempire.com/blog/butchcut"
} |
In the last 10 years I have helped a number of organizations to implement Scrum.
For a lot of these organizations the Scrum implementation either takes a long time or they never reach the real benefits of Scrum (happy stakeholders & maximum valued products with high quality).
There is a close relation between the progress\success of the Scrum implementation and the maturity of the Scrum Master role.
So who is the perfect person for this role? Is it a (project) manager, a team leader or maybe one of the development team members? Should he have technical skills or is he more a people manager?
The answers to these questions are not simple. These answers are hidden in the way many of these organizations have implemented the Scrum Master role. Another pattern appears, that describes the evolution of the Scrum Master:
The more mature the Scrum Master becomes, the higher the expected benefits. Each of the versions in the graph is an upgrade of its predecessor and incorporates all qualities of the previous version:
As a first attempt of implementing the Scrum Master role, organizations often start with one of the members of the development team (maybe he used to be the ‘team leader’). Since he has proven to be good in organizing stuff, we think that this guy can easily pick up some extra tasks (‘how hard can it be to be a Scrum Master, right?’). While his main responsibility is operational work on the Sprint Backlog, beeing a Scrum Master is something he does in spare time.
On a day to day basis the Clerk typically removes a lot of administrative duties from the Development Team (like updating the Sprint Backlog, burndown graphs, preparing the Sprint Planning, etc).
A Clerk has limited benefits, since he is mostly focussed on himself & the inferior values of the Agile manifesto (tools, processes, documentation, etc).
The Puppet Master
The Puppet Master is aware on the values in the manifesto (working software, collaboration, interaction & embracing change). He understands how the mechanisms in Scrum can help him reach these values.
He tries to pull different strings to make team members move into the right direction: everyone in the team needs to follow the Scrum rules by the book. This often results in a very mechanical Scrum implementation, where people do all the events, roles & artifacts in Scrum, but not really live them.
Since he still supports the team in doing technical work, a Puppet Master often does not have the time to focus on anything but his own Development Team.
Compared to the Clerk and the Puppet Master, the Organizer has managed to make his team aware of the Scrum Values (Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect & Courage). He has realized that by doing all the complex technical work himself, he actually prevents his team to learn (there is no need for other heroes when you already have Superman).
So instead of beeing Superman, he steps aside. He facilitates that the team can do it themselves (‘We don’t need strings to make the puppets move!’). As a result he can focus on teaching people about Scrum. He makes sure they actually live the values.
The Organizer is focussed on making sure that all Scrum events have an optimal result. He also has made time to provide data, so people can start acting on facts instead of gut feeling.
Although the Organizer himself acts with the Scrum Values in mind, his team is still learning. They still need his full attention.
A Development team that works with a Coach is able to run Scrum themselves. Sometimes still a little mechanical, but most of the times they really start living the values. As a result he has enough room to also focus on the Product Owner and the environment around the team (stakeholders, management, etc).
The Coach is able to impact others with his knowledge, while the Organizer only used this knowledge himself. He doesn’t only listen to his own voice. He is able to empathically listen to others. He is able to make people connect to their passion and helps them take action towards this passion. He helps people to find new viewpoints and evolve.
Besides using data to take decisions, the Coach starts to listen to his intuition.
The focus of a Coach gradually shifts from the team towards the rest of the organization. However, he still struggles to find solid ground with management and other parts of the organization (marketing, sales, operations, you name it…).
The Advisor has acted as a Coach for more teams in the past. He succeeded in creating\enabling empowered Scrum teams. As a result of that his focus has now shifted towards the organisation. He fixes impediments on the organizational level. He uses data, but he mostly acts on intuition.
The Advisor helps new Scrum Masters with a lower evolution level to grow. He is often asked by managers to help them fix difficult issues.
In an organization with complex, large products, the Advisor is typically the Scrum Master for a number of scaled Scrum teams (in a Nexus
he might also be the Scrum Master for the integration team).
While he learns a lot about the organizational dynamics the Advisor still struggles in making organizations more responsive as a whole.
The Expert Scrum Master is highly competent & committed. He uses his unconscious competence and intuition to advise\coach others on making decisions. The Expert has a connection with all parts of the organization. He gives advice to managers, HR professionals. He leads the organization towards more Agility. The Expert helps creating new rules & standards.
Some of the Experts are still part of a Scrum team, because they love the atmosphere around there. These teams are often high performing, skilled and an example for the other teams in the organization.
Experts in an Agile organization often call themselves ‘Agile coach’. They show up at events and are often respectable members in a community of Experts.
Unfortunately, many organizations do not recognize these Experts or don’t understand how to keep them motivated. If they eventually leave, it will be a hard job to fill the vacuum they leave behind.
If you want to experience what it takes to be a good Scrum Master, you can sign up for my Scrum.org PSM training.
Some good books on the role of the Professional Scrum Master and Professional Scrum:
15 Comments so far
Cheeky n geekyPosted on7:41 pm - Jul 3, 2016
Not all scrum masters are men. Agile mistresses exist.
roneringaPosted on11:20 pm - Jul 3, 2016
And surprisingly….these mistresses go through exact the same role-evolution 😉
Núria AloyPosted on5:02 pm - Apr 27, 2019
Still, the use of gender-neutral pronouns in your text would make it more inclusive to women and non-binary folks.
Ron EringaPosted on2:44 pm - Jul 10, 2019
You are entirely right and in my new work this has become one of my ‘Definition of Done’ criteria. The only reason why I haven’t changed it yet is that going through all my old work was too much work and I’m focused too much on writing new material.
CurtisPosted on3:22 pm - Mar 29, 2017
Agile Mistress, or Agile Madam?
If a woman gets a Master’s degree, does it become a Mistress’ degree?
The “Master” implies master craftsperson, not like “master” and “mistress” of a slave-owning plantation!
ProquotientPosted on6:03 pm - Nov 4, 2016
As the scrum master matures the higher the benefits are expected , Good explanation on the evolution stages of a scrum master from a clerk level to an expert master , Fun illustrations.
RobertoPosted on11:25 am - Jan 11, 2017
Great article and insights! Thanks for sharing!
CurtisPosted on3:28 pm - Mar 29, 2017
I don’t mean to nit-pick, but this article needs some editing.
Scrum Masters don’t “evolute”. They can evolve, but the evolute of a curve is the locus of all its centers of curvature. It is a noun, not a verb, and is unrelated to the evolution or maturation of a scrum master’s skills.
There are multiple grammatical errors as well as spelling.
Ex: “speed & succes ”
“The answer to these questions are, also not simple. ” Subject and verb don’t match. Either “The answer…is” or “the answerS …are”
I will review content separately, I just thought I’d point out that the article would benefit from a careful editorial review.
roneringaPosted on10:58 am - Apr 12, 2017
Thnx for pointing this one out….I have changed the errors 😉
CurtisPosted on4:05 pm - Mar 29, 2017
I feel like I have lived the path of evolution or growth you describe here, and each one of the phases fairly accurately describes some of the stages one goes through.
The core focus should be that this is a natural progression, but every enterprise needs to understand that the scrum master, just like the team, is EXPECTED to take a never-ending journey of continuous improvement. The key to continuous improvement is nurturing humility and transparency and accountability. I shiver a bit with the description of the expert–not because such a creature does not exist–but rather because so many want to proudly crow that they are experts when they really are still somewhere evolving through an earlier phase.
Even the best luminaries need to remain humble, else they become dogmatic in their beliefs and refuse to allow agility to grow and evolve. The most brilliant thing about Agile is that the initial leaders restrained themselves and stated values and principles, rather than guidelines or a rule book. This allowed a plethora of frameworks to be developed that stand or fall on their own merits, as long as they adhere to these guiding values.
roneringaPosted on10:50 am - Apr 12, 2017
Thanks for taking the time to leave such a good comment! It is encouraging to see that there are more people out there who recognise this growth pattern. And you are right about the part that many think they are an expert, while they still have a lot to learn. Unfortunately, many organisations do not recognise that Scrum Masters, Product Owners and development teams can stay in their role and live this never-ending journey.
IvoPosted on12:33 pm - Apr 17, 2020
Hi Ron, I like the way you describe how a Scrum Master becomes mature.
I have to disagree with you at one point though. From the description of the Advisor (“He uses data, but he mostly acts on intuition.”) and the Expert (“He uses his unconscious competence and intuition to advise\coach others on making decisions”) one might get the impression that intuition is more important than data. My experience is that although your intuition gets better, it is also the biggest pitfall to think your intuition is always right. It is better to support your intuition with data and I mistrust Agile coaches that fully rely on their previous experiences.
Ron EringaPosted on9:17 pm - Nov 16, 2020
The way you should read the maturity model is that each new level incorporates all previous levels (it’s like a russion nesting doll, that contains all capabilities from the previous level). This also means that using data is included at the expert level, but the Scrum Master at the expert level probably only uses the data when it is needed and prefers to act on intuition. This also holds for the other roles by the way. The more people advance to level 5 they will use less data and use their intuition more. This behaviour can also be explained…join my Organization Culture Design workshop if you want to know more…
Richa CPosted on10:43 pm - Feb 18, 2021
I liked this article- but isn’t part of the SM maturity dependent on the team? You might be an Advisor but your team is not there yet they need the Coach more right now; Can you help me understand better
Ron EringaPosted on9:38 am - Mar 16, 2021
Definitely: the SM certainly is dependent on the team.
The first time I was a Scrum Master myself, I could only grow towards the Advisor, because my team was growing towards a similar maturity level.
Then, when I got my next team, I couldn’t use all the skills of the Advisor immediately, since my new team wasn’t ready for it yet.
Very often, mature Scrum Masters need to take a few steps back in order to help the team grow in the pace that they can handle. | {
"date": "2023-05-28T10:49:49Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643663.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528083025-20230528113025-00472.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.953477144241333,
"token_count": 2757,
"url": "http://roneringa.com/evolution-scrum-master/"
} |
Like most useful products, name.pn was born out of necessity. Developer Quinn name.pn/quinn-daley is trans & non-binary and uses they/them pronouns and needed a nice way to share how to use those pronouns with business contacts.
These days we do a lot of our communicating electronically. We can see a person's name a dozen times and
- never learn how to pronounce it the way they want it to be pronounced,
- not know what pronouns to use when talking about them in the third person,
- want to address them formally but not know what title to use (or even if they want to be addressed by a title),
- hear them being called by a shortened version of their name and not know if they actually like it.
name.pn was created to give each person a short URL that you can put in your email signature and your social profiles that gives people all the information they need to address you correctly, including a chance to hear you pronouncing your name in your own voice.
It's free and always will be (although we might add some cool additional paid features in the future for businesses). It's still early in development but it works and it's ready to use now.
Working in the open
name.pn is an open source product and we are working in the open.
We welcome contributions to our roadmap, including bug reports, feature requests and even code changes! Follow the links below for more information.
Report a bug or make a feature request
See what's coming up next on our roadmap
Read about how you can contribute to name.pn
Get in touch
If you'd like to report an issue or feature request, please use our issues board. But to get in touch for any other reason, our email address is below. | {
"date": "2023-06-05T19:02:27Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652161.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605185809-20230605215809-00676.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.960339367389679,
"token_count": 376,
"url": "https://name.pn/pages/about"
} |
Well here we are in December and like many of you 2020 was not the year I expected.
My word for 2020 was "Create" and as I started to lean into the year I felt absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing. A dear coaching buddy and I were chatting one day and as she listened to my woes she said, "Jen you need to create space to actually create...you have been creating space"...she was right. They say boredom is the muse for creativity and I partly agree with that, the other muse for my creativity is observation. I love just watching the way life unfolds, how I respond or react, and what I do with that experience.
This year I created a feast for my husband's 60 th birthday party, I created memories, I created a wonderful vegetable garden, I created a youtube series called The Wisdom of Women. I created space for a course on Canva, a graphic design software which led me to create my own online course called "From Overwhelm to Self-Acceptance. After the horrific murder of George Floyd I created an online circle (with 15 white women) to study "Mindful of Race," a book by Ruth King. I created time to advocate for social justice for the Aboriginal people and asylum seekers in detention centres as well as practicing my non-binary language to support the trans/non-binary community. I created time to sit in a virtual circle with 6 other Australian women and came away with some beautiful new friendships. I enrolled in a menopause course with the Red School and found a listening partner who lives in New Zealand.
I also created time to start up my weekly oracle readings again, which are a source of such joy for me and just as the year was coming to an end I signed up for a course on "How to publish your own oracle card deck"with Laura Bowen. This is pretty much a dream come true for me and I am now deep into the creation phase as I paint all of the images for my cards.
I also created space to take a retreat in Iluka for a week, I whisked my husband away for a few days camping at Woodyhead, and I became a model for my daughter's final costume design project...see the above photo.
There were challenges too, a daughter who lives in the UK who we miss terribly, a holiday cottage in Scotland that had many cancellations and a new maintenance team. A root canal treatment, a goat death, a few gnarly symptoms of menopause. Two dear girlfriends faced really tough challenges. A friend asked if I would consider adopting her niece and I felt the gravity of that request deeply. I also had to make some fierce boundary adjustments to ensure my nervous system felt supported and safe. And yes we had Covid 19 and all of the challenges that came with that.
So as I reflect on my year I can see that whilst there were many challenges there were also so many joys. I would truly encourage you to reflect on your year so you can mine all the gems you experienced, the treasure we tuck away to boost our systems as we ready ourselves for the year ahead.
Thank you for all your support. Whether it is a comment here and there, a reading or a session, if you have sat in circle with me or just been an observer and cheerleader, thank you for your time and attention.
I wish truly wish you a wonderful holiday season and the very best of wishes for a peaceful and joyful New Year. | {
"date": "2021-07-28T15:46:20Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2021-31",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153739.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20210728154442-20210728184442-00517.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9792281985282898,
"token_count": 714,
"url": "https://www.jenniferwinfield.com/post/what-a-year"
} |
Canadian blood donors draw equal treatment
Baja California governor blocks conversion therapy ban
Russia fines social media for LGBTQ “propaganda”
Tennessee threatens schools to enforce trans student sports ban
Missouri school district rips down teachers’ “safe space’ stickers
Oklahoma prohibits non-binary birth certificates
Victoria town rejects rainbows to mark IDAHOBIT
Disney refuses to “Doctor” Multiverse for Saudi homophobes
Health Canada announces the “significant milestone” to lift its ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men, a bill to ban conversion therapy in the Mexican state of Baja California has been vetoed by the governor, Russian courts fine social media owners META and ByteDance for refusing to remove content “propagating the LGBT+ community,” Tennessee’s governor signs a bill threatening to deprive school districts of state funding if they disobey the ban on trans athletes, a Kansas City, Missouri-area school district’s teachers can no longer display LGBTQ-supportive symbols in their classrooms, Oklahoma blocks birth certificate gender markers that are neither “male” nor “female,” an Australian shire’s mayor thinks rainbow International Day Against Homophobia, Bi-phobia and Trans-phobia flags would be pro-pedophilia, and the Walt Disney Company chooses a lesbian reference in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” over Saudi Arabian censorship.
NewsWrap is reported this week by Marcos Najera and Michael Taylor-Gray, produced by Brian DeShazor. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for international LGBTQ weekly news. | {
"date": "2023-06-10T11:30:55Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224657169.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610095459-20230610125459-00279.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8844245672225952,
"token_count": 349,
"url": "https://www.thiswayout.org/post/newswrap-may-2-2022"
} |
I'm back after a long holiday break and a nasty fight with a flu. This week's news offered a number of anecdotes that related closely to conversations I had with my family over the break.
One topic that "normative" people are increasingly curious about is why gender-identity is being discussed more and more. Gender-identity is different than what sexual organs a person has or who that person is sexually attracted to. Gender-identity is how the individual thinks about themselves as they interact with the world.
Just this past weekend, Janelle Monae shared that she identifies as non-binary. That just means she doesn't personally feel that the attributes of the male or female gender accurately represent them. Both Sam Smith and Indya Moore have also recently come out as non-binary.
Growing up, this wasn't something I heard about, so I'm also sure my parents never heard of this concept. When I was growing up, I didn't see anybody that identified as gay that looked like me and liked the things I liked, so I refused to question my heterosexuality. Spoiler alert: it didn't work.
A personal plug, but I recently wrote about the need for more inclusive spaces in sports so that athletes can develop in all facets of their lives. Personally, Jason Collins coming out story was incredibly impactful, and I think that gets at the core reason as to why we are hearing more and more about non-normative identities.
Many people grew up feeling isolated or without community. The opportunity for Sam or Janelle to share their stories is at least in part and opportunity to tell people who feel isolated or alone that they aren't.
One of the reasons this is so important is because minority populations face significant barriers to healthcare, largely due to ignorance from providers. Harvard Medical Magazine published an in-depth piece specifically about the disparities in care the LGBTQ community faces.
As I called on coaches and administrators in my piece with Athlete Ally, we must also demand more accountability from our medical professionals. Systematically disadvantaged LGBTQ patients are all too commonly expected to be the ones to address and fix these disparities in the system.
For many, the legalization of same-sex marriage represented a panacea for the sexual and gender communities (SGC). In reality, there are still many legal hurdles for SGC persons. Today, Arizona is currently debating a bill that would mandate abstinence-only education for LGBTQ students.
It's not all bad news though. Activists have been pushing to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified by three fourths of states (38), mandating the legal protection of all people regardless of sexuality or gender. There are currently 37 states that have ratified the amendment.
This year, Virginia will battleground zero for the ERA. Virginia's House of Delegates has advanced the bill, which could be ratified this week. There are still many hurdles ahead, but it's a reminder that progress is still being made. Stay tuned!
- Janelle Monet identifies as non-binary
- We need administrators to create more inclusive spaces
- Non-normative people get worse healthcare
- Some states are trying to enshrine that
- Some are trying to make Equal Rights an Amendment
Happy Tuesday, see you Friday! | {
"date": "2020-03-29T03:03:00Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2020-16",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370493684.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20200329015008-20200329045008-00535.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9757827520370483,
"token_count": 662,
"url": "https://kalamos.care/blogs/news/tuesday-reads-1-14"
} |
WBL Women in Business Workshop
Ever wonder how we move from place to place each day? How we walk to school or run around a track? How we lift items up and put them back down?
Welcome to the field of biomechanics - - - the math and science behind how we move!
You are invited to come learn about biomechanics and celebrate National Biomechanics Day with Harvard’s Biodesign Lab!
This hands-on educational event will include:
No prior experience needed and all are welcome. Female and non-binary students are especially encouraged to sign up!
Date: Saturday April 23rd, 2022
Time: 10am-3pm (Lunch will be provided)
Location: 150 Western Avenue, Boston, MA 02134
SIGN UP HERE
Check out the event webpage here for more information or email [email protected] with any questions! | {
"date": "2023-06-02T02:17:32Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648245.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602003804-20230602033804-00295.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8800793886184692,
"token_count": 232,
"url": "https://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/career-counseling/archives/03-2023"
} |
December 22, 2020 | 5 min read
Meet Daylight — a banking platform for the LGBT+ community
Rob Curtis, CEO, Daylight
In November, Marqeta announced our partnership with upcoming challenger bank, Daylight, which is the first digital banking platform specifically designed for the LGBTQ+ community in the United States. Marqeta is Daylight’s issuer/processor and program manager for its prepaid card offering, and we are also partnering to support a key feature that’s inclusive to trans and non-binary customers by issuing cards with their preferred name, even if they don’t match the customer’s legal identity.
Daylight is led by LGBT+ co-founders, CEO Rob Curtis, and Billie Simmons, chief of staff. Marqeta’s Melissa Stoller, who is part of our customer success team and also plays a lead role in our Marqeta Cares social impact work, interviewed Daylight’s co-founders to better understand their mission, what sets Daylight apart from other digital banks, and future initiatives.
Melissa Stoller: What does Daylight do, and how did you get started?
Rob Curtis, Daylight CEO: Daylight is the first and only digital banking platform designed specifically for and by the LGBT+ community. Daylight’s card, app, and digital services prepare members for the future faster by helping them navigate the finance system, generate smarter habits, and connect with a community working together to build the life they deserve without compromise.
Billie Simmons, chief of staff, Daylight
Billie Simmons, Daylight chief of staff: Rob and I met onstage at an Out in Tech event hosted by Google. We were both working separately on our own startups (Rob was working on a startup that matched LGBT+ people with LGBT+ therapists, I was working on a startup that helped trans and non-binary people access safe services). Through our venture studio, Vacuumlabs, we were both brought in to work on this idea of an LGBT+ banking platform, and Daylight was born.
MS: What drives both of your passion for supporting the LGBT+ community? How does Daylight serve this community differently than any other bank?
BS: We are both members of the LGBT+ community, and both of us have lived the pain points Daylight seeks to solve. In fact, the whole Daylight team is made up of queer geeks solving our own problems.
RC: Banks have had a long time and a structural advantage that they could have used to treat LGBT+ people seriously and yet, the data shows that they continue to offer us lower approval rates, higher interest, and more fees than non-LGBT+ people with similar financial backgrounds.
We are the first generation of LGBT+ people who can live openly. The legal and social landscape has evolved such that LGBT+ people have increasing financial influence with $1 trillion of spending power each year and yet, simply being LGBT+ has added costs.
LGBT+ people start their financial lives further behind, struggle to catch up, (around half of us do not maintain a savings habit), and by the time they are older, around 50% of LGBT+ people worry about having enough money to live on during retirement (40% higher than non-LGBT+ people).
BS: Daylight is tackling these problems head-on by offering best-in-class educational resources and financial coaching from LGBT+ people, as well as a community of like-minded individuals to support you on your way.
MS: What was Daylight looking for in a payments issuer/processor when you approached Marqeta?
RC: Marqeta has a reputation for world-class service. Their global modern issuing platform enables companies like Daylight to tailor unique financial products to the individual needs of specific groups.
MS: Marqeta and Daylight both have a passion for — and company values around — inclusivity and enriching their communities. Why was it important for Daylight to work with a mission/value aligned company?
BS: It is of the utmost importance that any company we partner with holds inclusivity high in their values and activities as a company. Part of the reason we’re thrilled to be working with Marqeta was how receptive they were to feedback about the ways in which they as a company could continue to be inclusive to LGBT+ people. We see all our external partnerships as an opportunity to make the industry more inclusive to our community, which includes taking a look at a company’s own processes and seeing how they’re inadvertently excluding LGBT+ people.
A great example of this is that Marqeta recently removed the gender field from their dashboard following our feedback that often collecting gender is unnecessary and excludes non-binary people.
MS: What does it mean for Daylight to be a purpose-driven company?
RC: Focusing on creating real social change means that we are creating products that have longevity and create lasting emotional connections with the community that we’re building for. We’re able to help that community, as well as create a sustainable business model — meaning we can continue to do important work for years to come.
MS: Why is it important that financial services and products be designed to meet the needs of the LGBT+ community?
RC: LGBT+ people aren’t preparing for their futures fast enough. This is for a whole host of factors:
1: It costs more to be LGBT+. We face high one-off costs such as having children ($130k for surrogacy) and gender transition (up to $100k) that put us on the back foot.
We struggle to play catch-up. We face lower levels of financial literacy and lower salaries. Nearly 50% (vs. 38%) of LGBT+ people struggle to maintain regular savings.
These issues have a cumulative effect on LGBT+ wealth creation. Half of older LGBT+ people worry about having sufficient funds — this is 40% higher than non-LGBT+.
And when you dive down into other intersections, it’s even harder for LGBT+ people. Twenty percent of LGBT+ people of color are unbanked completely.
BS: Furthermore, systemic anti-LGBT+ bias in the financial services industry is embedded in places like Know Your Customer (KYC) automation, lending risk models, and hard-coded gender fields that only account for male and female gender identities, leaving trans and non-binary people excluded.
MS: How is Daylight pioneering the future of banking?
RC: We’re the community bank of the future. The personal banking vertical is incredibly saturated in the U.S. The industry is in flux: Established banks and credit card companies are struggling to maintain consumer loyalty during the post-pandemic economy where expenses and purchases continue to be prioritized during a time when many people are out of work. The American LGBT+ community also continues to face an uphill battle maintaining an equal seat at the table, as equal rights have systematically been depleted by the government and health care support has dwindled in a for-profit system, especially for citizens who identify as transgender. There’s little consistency in financial products that authentically represent and support the community. LGBT+ people are not preparing for the future fast enough.
BS: By rethinking the onboarding process and partnering with organizations that are open to being inclusive to trans and non-binary people, we’re able to provide a service that offers features like names on cards that don’t have to match your legal identity. It’s a quick and easy change that you can do on the app, vs. going into a branch with a notarized legal document and outing yourself to a stranger.
*The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the respective respondents and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Marqeta.
**Interview responses have been lightly edited for clarity. | {
"date": "2023-06-09T08:10:55Z",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2023-23",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655446.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609064417-20230609094417-00695.warc.gz",
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9671773910522461,
"token_count": 1610,
"url": "https://www.marqeta.com/blog/daylight-banking-platform-for-lgbtq"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.