#empower queer kids | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

letters-to-lgbt-kids · 1 year

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My dear lgbt+ kids,

Something I have noticed in some fandom spaces on tumblr is the "positive gender-neutralization" of traditionally strictly gendered terms.

For example, I've seen people call men babygirl or wife - but not with the intention to point out any feminine features they may have or even mock them for those features. It is used as an earnest, gender-neutral compliment. I also see people use the terms boobs and tits to describe all kinds of chests, including those of cis men, in a positive, compliment-y way.

Is this a good or bad thing? Well, I believe this can be a very comforting, freeing and even healing experience for queer people within fandom spaces. Femininity is often seen as weakness - by defining traditionally feminine language as something positive, something filled with love, something to be used as a kind of praise for all genders, you are turning that notion on its head and that can be empowering.

But with all that being said: it's important to remember that fandom spaces do not reflect the real world.

I don’t want to go all “Please do not go around calling all the queer men in your life babygirl” here as I do not assume that younger generations lack common sense. There’s probably no need for me to remind you that calling gay or bi men babygirl easily comes across as a homophobic slur or that calling a trans man babygirl is still misgendering even if you think of it as a compliment.

The reason I do remind you of this is because it’s a good lesson in consent.

Your favorite fictional character consents to being called babygirl (or, well, more technically speaking they can not consent on account of being imaginary - but since they are imaginary, you can imagine them to consent to whatever). There’s no risk of overstepping any boundaries or hurting feelings here. But with the real people in your life, you need to ask for consent. And if they think it’s cute, empowering or funny to be called babygirl, great! Babygirl them all you want! But if they don’t feel comfortable with it, respecting that concrete boundary is much more important than some abstract concept of changing language.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

#Lgbt #lgbt+

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jaerie · 11 months

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I need to write some of this while it’s fresh. Tonight was... something I will never forget which doesn’t even describe it. Carrying on @rainbowmegamix after such success in Council Bluffs, I talked myself up to have the courage and confidence to take the rainbow flags into a concert I was attending alone and do it dressed as a walking rainbow to stand out so people could find me for flags. I spent hours yesterday putting the sticks in them only to have the venue not allow them. So I had to de-stick them all and then smuggle them all into avoid suspicion, but I was determined. And then I just... started being the outgoing person I definitely am NOT and just started handing them out. And for a while I thought it had been a fail and that at least a few were out there... and then it just... took off. People were coming up to me and catching my eye from across the arena and forming lines to get them and I gave out 750 of my 800 flags before The Snuts were even on. And then I found @queenbeeharry who started giving them out like Oprah. Then I stood in my VERY visible seat and just went hard for queer representation in my own little bubble. And knowing I was so visible and that I was memorable to everyone I handed the flags out to was so out of my comfort zone. I pushed through and I’m so glad I did. I had the best concert of my life just vibing and living my own pride.

I left the concert in tears and I feel its really important to stress why this all felt so big for me. In 2003 when I was 17, I was a baby gay freshly out to only a close few and finally dating my best friend of years. I was beyond happy with the freedom of opening that love and I will admit the puppy love was on max. But this was 2003 and it was a different time. Gay marriage wasn’t even legal yet in a majority of places in the US. In the back corner of a nearly empty movie theater, I kissed my girlfriend. It was not obscene or raunchy, it was the kind of giddy pecks that come alone with that new rush. In the midst of that high, a man approached us and asked if we were both girls. He proceded to chew us out for doing that in front of his kid and had the manager call the police to have us removed from the theater. To go from that fearful way of living to being the most visible walking rainbow to a whole arena where I didn’t even have one shred of fear was so empowering and intoxicating. I was vibing so hard and I didn’t feel perceived by Louis, I felt truly seen. Louis is like therapy and I felt a part of me that was that 17 year old heal tonight. I wish I knew how to thank him for fostering such a safe space 20 years later.

#sorry for this ramble #im emotional

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sepublic · 1 month

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So I've seen some people criticize lately the deconstruction of the child hero trope, arguing that it originally existed as a way of empowering kids who feel ineffective and powerless. And yeah, kids DO have a notable lack of agency that as an adult, you really begin to understand more and appreciate, at least on my end. These are all fair arguments, the deconstruction of the deconstruction, and I don't think they're necessarily wrong. It's just...

Some stories are meant for other people? The thing about this generation is that it's got a LOT on its shoulders. This generation is the one that's tired and burnt out, it has to deal with the burden of a world that's imploding in on itself, and the expectation that they have to fix it. It feels like corporations and politicians are casually destroying the world, knowing future generations will be the ones to have to clean it up, so why should they care?

There's a lot of anxiety and angst about the sociopolitical sphere. We've got the rise of Linkin Park, we've got people becoming jaded with late-stage capitalism and wondering how they can even survive in this economy. The fantasy has shifted from large and grand stuff to simply being able to survive and make a humble yet satisfying living. Kids are becoming burnt out, and being gifted is more apparently not worth the hype.

So I imagine THAT's the appeal behind the deconstruction of the kid protagonist for modern audiences, the one that's like "Hey isn't this fucked up? Isn't this messed up? The fate of the world is on this kid's shoulders, they're just a child soldier?" Because I think it reflects a lot of people's frustration with the adults around them, that it feels like the adults have become useless and are just forcing them to do things on their own, and often for them.

For a lot of young people, it feels like they're being forced to do all of the emotional labor while parents and guardians who tend to fail them, especially for being queer, ultimately slack on their duties by guilt-tripping them; Saying they've already done so much providing shelter and food, so you should be grateful, how dare you expect emotional support and the like!!!

It's all a way to vent frustration over the ineffectivity, and even abuse, of parents and guardians. It's catharsis for angst, because it feels like there's so much wrong with the world; The internet and modern communication has led to this phenomenon of "infowhelming" where kids are constantly bombarded by news of all the world's ills. It's sensory overload, it's a Greta Thunberg situation where it's inherently ridiculous that a kid has to step up and fix things, and instead of acknowledging how much help they need, the adults have the audacity to congratulate this child and put them on a pedestal as the chosen one who will fix things for them. Instead of just taking responsibility themselves.

The "Kid Protagonist is a Child Soldier" deconstruction is an outlet for kids to explore darker emotions, to admit their angst is valid, that this is a really shitty situation and this is how they can deal with it. Growing up, I already had Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which DID play into the idea of kids cast into too much responsibility because of useless adults around them. It felt like a way for kids to cope with the fact that the world can be a very unfair place, it was cathartic in its acknowledgement of the frustration and its validity.

Plus, it's not as if all these deconstruction stories are saying that kids CAN'T have fun, that they can't do things, because kids DO want to do things!!! They want agency, they want to feel like they're making a difference! It's just that a lot of them also want the reassurance that the adults are still there for them as a support network, that they have people more experienced to fall back and rely on when it's too much; They can do their part but it's not ALL down to them, is that too much to ask for? The nuance of being able to do things, but not having to be the only one?

Sometimes kids like it both ways where they can be an adventurer but also recognize when some things messed them up, so they can have space to breathe before moving onwards. Sometimes they need a break because it IS taxing, but they’ll still go back to it. Sometimes they'll still do the work knowing how necessary it is, while wanting acknowledgement for how hard it was. People write about the traumatic effects of 'bad things' for a reason; They still want to see those bad things in media, for the catharsis of the coping and emotional fallout afterwards.

These defenses of the Kid Protagonist trope and how it resonated with kids from, say, the early 20th century is fair. It's true. But these deconstruction stories of today also apply, in that they're a power fantasy in a different way for different kids of a different generation, with different struggles. So I find it disingenuous to simply dismiss these deconstruction-type stories as just CinemaSins bathos, even if I understand that a lot of people are understandably tired of the MCU's "That just happened" attempts at self-awareness.

And I don't think kids of today are completely decrying straightforward depictions, it's just nice to have those, AND the deconstruction, to flip back and forth between as their mood needs. These types of stories where the protagonists realize they're child soldiers, like Animorphs -which itself was written for teenagers in all their angst- might simply... not be for some people. And that's okay, that's fine! Different stories resonate, different stories serve different purposes because they're by different people.

#ramblings #meta #stories

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anakin-vaders · 1 year

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The role of Fashion in The Hunger Games saga a brief analysis.

Ok now with the hunger games renaissance we need to discuss the role Cinna plays in the whole series, and the role of fashion in the hunger games. I read this series when I was 11-12 years old, I grew to become a very, very queer fashion designer (I work for drag queens), I didn't think I truly understood how much THG series impacted me until very recently when I saw/read the whole series again. Like yes, Suzanne Collins makes the Capitol this shallow society, putting a real effort in making their citizens be superficial only caring about their looks, looking super extravangant and absolutely disconnected from the suffering of the districts. While their looks are vibrant, large, shimmery, and totally over the top (showcasing their opulence) the way they dress on the districts (specially 12 and 13) is minimalist, modest, the colors are washed, old. Their each other's antithesis. And of course Katniss expects only that from the people of the Capitol (classic Us vs. Them), and when Cinna, whom I think is very queer coded, comes in, and treats her like a human being, she starts to let her walls down, to let herself be guided trough this horrible thing she's got to endure. In the books when Cinna and his team are pampering her, she doesn't see herself as a symbol, she never really wanted to be one, she feels really dehumanized. Her only motivation upon this point is surviving and get back to Prim on her home, she still thinks everything on the Capitol in stupid and unnecessary. It's only when Cinna puts them in this very intricate and thought out looks inspired by their district industry (coal mining) that I think Katniss starts to understand the power of fashion, the power of symbols.

And later in her interview with Caesar we have the infamous red dress that catches fire and that lefts the audience gagged (if any of y'all have been to a drag show you know how amazing a good reveal is). This moment is so important because now fashion doesn't become something merely functional, or oppressive. Fashion is empowering, this moment is Katniss getting confidence in herself, asserting herself over her circumstances thanks to Cinna, thanks to fashion. It's also very brilliant because this is also catered to the Capitol, to the viewers and consumers of the games. One of the first things Haymitch tells Katniss is to make herself desirable, and this totally makes sense, the Capitol now roots for her, relate to her, so that later she can get sponsors and SURVIVE.

On Catching Fire we have another iconic fashion moment, fire is a very present theme for Katniss. She is of course the spark for the rebellion, and when she understood it, the message not only becomes clearer, it becomes a protest against the games, against the Capitol. The way she and Peeta are almost regal their second time on the games, shows how much she's understood the power of fashion, the power of the message it can send. They look like a piece of coal refusing to cool, refusing to stop burning. And this was all Cinna's mind.

And my absolute favorite. The wedding dress, such and iconic moment and dare I say, a pivotal moment for the rebellion. In the books Katniss and Peeta are doomed to keep their fake relationship for PR reasons, so they get engaged, and make their whole wedding (bear in mind they're both 17 ish here) a reality show-esque moment for the Capitol. Even after they've won, they still have to entertain them, a winner can never rest. The districts are never winners. So when Snow decides to make his personal quest that of making Katniss miserable, thus making his All Star version of the games, knowing district 12 only has 1 female winner...oh if that isn't some evil shit. On top of that, he is the one who request she wears her wedding dress to the interview, the dress that symbolizes all she never wanted (get married, have kids, loose her agency, being controlled by the Capitol). Snow does this hopping Katniss feels ALL THAT, and Cinna being the genius designer he fucking is, turns a 180 on it and gets the wedding dress as a façade, he uses the dress as a symbol of the tragic lovers that never got to wed, the wedding the Capitol never got to see because of the games. And it works. It fucking works.

And then, the dress burns up revealing a beautiful black dress with wings, a mockingjay, she literally becomes the rebellion, she embodies the rebellion and all that comes with it. The power of fashion in the middle of an uprising, and how much it strikes the Capitol because it's said in their language. All of these moments were essential in the history because the people on the districts already knew about the injustices, about the hardships of their conditions. But the consumers didn't. And Cinna, trough Katniss made them see that, he took everything that made the Capitol shallow and gave actual meaning to it. And without of all of it, who knows if the rebellion would've gestated as fast.

TL;DR: the hunger games saga made me a fashion designer, and fashion is really important in the story, dare I say it's a really clever use of fashion and Cinna is a FUCKING genius.

#hunger games #thg #catching fire #hunger games analysis #hunger games renaissance #katniss everdeen #cinna the hunger games #Suzanne Collins #fashion in the hunger games #cinna #the mockingjay #holy shit dude when I mean this saga formed me I'm not kidding i literally went to college to become a fashion designer bc of it.

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leebrontide · 9 months

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The letter I just sent to my Senator, regarding KOSA, for you to steal from if you wish.

I have voted for you many times, but please, for the love of God, do not support KOSA and discourage your colleagues from doing the same. I am a therapist and a mother and this bill will do irreparable damage to so many people. The vagueness of the wording is going to empower red state GAs to push internet companies to ban information on safe sex ed, abuse, queer issues, non-Christian religion, and discussions of race. We have seen, over these past several years, that what these bad actors will do "for the children" has nothing to do with children. This will destroy resources that vulnerable young people RELY on when the people around them can't provide it. Growing up as a young queer person in the 90s I knew kids who died because everything around them told them that even their simple middle school crushes were perverted and unspeakable. I do not want to return to that time.

Please, do not empower bigots to bully the whole world wide web so that they can isolate the children under their power from information that they deem unsuitable. Even if judges throw out the complaints, history shows that businesses will shutter this information out of fear of costly retaliation.

Please, show everyone that you are the experienced politician I have believed you to be, who knows enough to safeguard bills against bad actors.

This bill will not protect children.

#KOSA #censorship #American politics #uspol #us politics

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i-eat-lip-gloss · 7 months

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let me tell u

the most accepted i’ve ever felt, the most majestic and inspiring thing i’ve ever seen,

was on the first day of pride at school last year.

more than half the kids there were dressed in something pride. quite a few of them had flag capes, umbrella even saw a kid with a trans flag. there were so many kids and people dressed their queer-best for pride, rainbows, flags, and all. i have never felt so accepted in school or ever in my entire life. sure there were some kids who got kinda pissed at it, but they were really outnumbered so it didn’t matter. one kid said “it’s just June not dress up like fruit loops!” and i honestly burst out laughing. at lunch me and all my friends had little pencil flags (the pole is a pencil; made my umbrella) and Lint had a pretty well sized rainbow flag, and as a group of kids were walking past our table to go get hot lunch, one of them as walking leaned forward and said “eeewwww” but we all honestly laughed. it was pride month, we were being rlly represented, we were too strong to even care. that’s the beauty of pride month to me, it empowers us queers by being and feeling so accepted and represented we’re too strong (emotionally) to care abt what anyone else says

#dreamy talks #midnight talks with dreamy #dreamy's random thoughts #pride #lgbt pride #lgbtq #lgbtqia #queer #queer pride #pride month #dreamy telling a story #storytime #motivational #inspiring #<- idk i figured i’d add those 2 bc it’s inspiring to me at least #dreamy's school diary #school stories

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aaa-battery-not-rechargeable · 9 months

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got a comment the other day on my post about empowering queer kids that said something along the lines of 'come near my kids, you're getting shot on sight'

at first i thought it was solidarity, like 'wooo protect queer kids, I'll shoot if you dont'

apparently not, since the account was extremely,,, yikes. i cannot even remember the @ haha i just blocked them

but like.... is it so hard to let kids be? let them learn about queer subject matter without saying they have to be queer. it's alienating to NOT let them learn about queer matters. if the kids say they're queer, no matter if it's a temporary label for them or not, believe and support them.

it's more damaging to kids to regulate who they are in the strict ways of 'christian values' and 'kid appropriate' (as if someone being queer isn't suitable for kids to see), than any queer person minding their business and explaining their life and identity (especially when asked and willing to do so by a curious child!) will do.

so to that commenter.... come near MY kids, you're getting shot. on sight. :)

#queer #protect queer kids #empower queer kids #lgbt #lgbtq pride #lgbtq+#lgbtqia #lgbtq #lgbt pride #lgbtq community #lgbtqiap+

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your-queer-dad · 4 months

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Happy 2024 everyone!!!!! With the new year comes new beginnings, and I'm curious:

#lgbt #finch rambles #lgbtq #lgbtqia #trans #transgender #queer positivity #trans joy #trans kids #aqueerjokeaday #queer community #queer pride #queer activism #empower queer kids #lgbtq community #lgbtq history

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mr-laveau · 2 months

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Ayo it's your boy, uhh, skinny penis- bitch you know who tf it is hi munchkin <3 xoxo

What's your listener's name and nickname? Sweetheart, name pending,,,,

What's their backstory? As you may or may not remember - My SH is Afro-Latinx, from an empowered family. The previous generation (their parents) called out DUMP on mistreatment of human born and unempowered humans (being detained, lack of jobs and representation) which started a whole commotion for the treatment of everyone but empowered humans (feeders, humanborn, and unempowered humans) and led to restructuring of DUMP. Think if there was a magical civil rights act and equal employment act. Anyway, my SH comes into play when DUMP catches them in the wrong place/wrong time and some higher ups think this is the perfect moment for revenge - either SH goes to jail and destroys their family's upright reputation and a family member's run for office OR they work for DUMP as a way to keep an eye on the family. They hate every second of it and face a lot of pressure to conform (gender presentation wise, accepting smart comments about being a stealth and some other microaggressions) but they want to protect their family.

What's the desired aesthetic of your listener character (punk, greaser, bimbo, scene kid, schoolgirl)? I'm feeling make noir sexy again. Like if you made a 1940s mafia boss in modern day and VERY sexy but also stylish. Gotta keep up with fresh to death did you see my ice Milo Greer. Pinstripes, suspenders, harnesses/holsters, etc. But like also in a bring your own gender I don't trust your gender with raisins in it kind of way.

What's your listener's gender presentation like? Yeah so gender as in mind your business. Androgynous as in I do what I want. It's masc, it's femme, it's ambiguous, it's all of the above. Really the point is constantly serving hot girl (gn) shit and looking super sexy next to Milo. They're that super hot stylish couple everyone wishes at least a little bit they dressed like because it looks effortless. My SH uses they/them pronouns and identifies as queer as in what's it to you (or genderfluid!)

What's your listener's ethnicity? Afro-Latinx! I wanted a listener who could dance bachata, okay? They're Dominican.

What's your listener's age? Ummmmmm. I think about the same age as Milo, maybe a year older? So 31 this year.

What's your listener's body type/build? Taller than Milo for SURE, I think they're like tall-tall. Like at least 5'10. Also they're a dancer and a runner (investigator things) (perhaps they were even a track star) so they've got a tall, muscular kind of body type - but don't be afraid to give them some body fat! They're strong!

What's your listener's star sign? Taurus!

What are your listener's most important relationships and who are they connected to? Their most important relationships are for SURE with their family. Since dating Milo, they finally told their family why they started working for DUMP (lots of anxiety but they were met with a lot of support and love). They are super close to their family (which is a big extended family, lots of aunt and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephews and so on) and so they spend lots of time at family dinners/parties/celebrations and love to bring Milo with them. Because their family (unintentionally at first) became so politically active in Dahlia for the rights of human-born, unempowered humans, and feeders, they have a lot of political connections through their own work and through their family members - definitely in a well connected family!

What's your listener's hobbies/interests? They love to dance - big inspiration for them. They like partner dances and particularly love Bachata (something something fond memories watching their parents and family dance together and learning as they grew up) but they just like to dance in general. You will be catching them at Zumba classes at the local gym with the aunties and grandmas. They're also really connected to community events - there was a lot of distrust created by them joining DUMP and so they are really invested in their community service and improving their community. They loooove to cook, but they're a "let's cook together" not "I'm cooking get out of the kitchen" kind of person. Definitely a food experimenter and sometimes it can go badly. Also makes a mean cocktail - always invited to dinner parties or wanting to host them with Milo.

If your listener was a deity from a known mythology, what deity would they be? Why would you ask me this. I don't know! Maybe Terpsichore, one of the nine Greek muses associated with dancing? You don't understand how central dance is to this character. They are always dancing.

What Audio RP series are they from? RedactedASMR - Sweetheart

What kind of lover are they to their partner/what kind of friend are they? In a few words - silly-goofy, observant, and a whore (said with love). As for a friend, still silly-goofy and observant, but I think they're affectionate as hell. Think of a really sociable cat.

What is something/are some things that your listener values? They really value family and community - firm believer in it takes a village and we are all our brother's keeper (except of course when it comes to them because they should be able to help everyone and not need any help themselves. sweetheart things.) There is no understanding how invested they are in protecting and standing up for their community and that's why they put in 4x more work (and overtime) than others at DUMP - they believe in helping people and not going with the easy solution. So family, community, doing something you're passionate about every day, and fairness/justice.

Pick a song that you think represents your listener. https://open.spotify.com/track/3qQbCzHBycnDpGskqOWY0E?si=e8cb80d8d36a45b3 This song started making me think about songs for listeners to dance to and kind of kick-started this whole idea. I just have an image of Milo and SH dancing to this song together in the kitchen while something is simmering on the stove ok?

What's the inspiration behind your listener's design? I wanted a listener who could dance really well, and decided a speaker who DEFINITELY can dance is Milo. And then I had to figure out the whole cop thing, so here we are.

Could you give me a vague concept of what your listener's visual vibe is? Modernized sexy noir film - but if you could be the femme fatale and the detective and the criminal at any given point. Truly, they do it all.

What are some extra tidbits you wanna tell me about your listener? Neither Milo nor Sweetheart are good with scary stuff (despite them being a stealth) and neither of them are killing bugs. They call David or Asher to handle them (I think David kills them but Asher puts them outside). Sweetheart and Aggro? Best friends. Milo complains that they're closer than him and Aggro - something about a stealth having cat energy and Aggro just gets it. "The girls that get it, get it, Milo."

Laveau's Listener Design Lab - design #001 - Sweetheart - Lexi Moon

Heyyyy Lexi! Good to see you in my inbox and congrats on getting your listener as the first design for the labs! It was wonderful getting to work on a SH and your concept really stood out to me when I first saw it so I had to draw it up!

Design Notes!

For this design, your initial concepts made me think of a few people I could implement for inspirations to your SH's design. Those people being Catwoman from DC and Gomez Addams from the Addams Family!

From Gomez, I wanted to make Sweetheart's suit similar to the patterning of Gomez's while adding Catwoman's femme fatale flair to the design. You made a note where you wanted SH to look like a detective, a femme fatale and a criminal all in one go so I chose to aim for darker blues to show professionalism whilst implying a sense of mystery to the character–and of course we can't forget every femme fatale's signature bold lipstick colour. You can also see some of Catwoman's influence in the nails as I figured it'd be fun for them to make witty remarks while snapping back at Milo with hand gestures. Additionally, I decided to add a few embellishments to show SH's lack of total compliance to the dress code of D.U.M.P by giving them piercings and tattoos; The moon earrings here is my favourite because every SH should have a moon motif but also given the symbolisms associated with the moon and the energy you wanted your SH to capture, I felt it was the perfect choice; the blue rose tattoos are also fun imo because the thorns can be interpreted as restrictive shackles or as "a rose with thorns", the choice to also incorporate blue roses was also informed by my knowledge of what they mean symbolically (that being mystery, admiration, uniqueness and aspiration) . Finally, I also tailored SH's clothes to be more ready for action whilst being fashionable and danceable (including the oxford shoes I added) so they can always move unrestrained whilst also being the hottest thing that Milo ever laid eyes on.

Overall, this was a really fun concept for me to work on and I really enjoyed being able to design your listener, hope you enjoy!

wanna have your listener designed by me? Check out my rules to the Listener Design Lab and send an ask my way!

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queerly-autistic · 3 months

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My dad just messaged me going "seeing all this 'Save OFMD' stuff made me realise some things never change" and attached a load of pictures he'd dug up from fifteen years ago of me in my 'Save Ianto Jones' fan campaign era.

As much as it made me laugh, it also made me think about something that I've not talked about before: the fact that this is what introduced me to campaigning.

I was a very lost queer (undiagnosed autistic) kid, bullied and lonely and keenly aware that there were a lot of bad things happening in the world, but I had no idea how to begin to even try to change things, or even any awareness that there was anything I could do to change anything.

And then my favourite show killed off my favourite character, and I suddenly accidentally found myself swept up in the mobilisation (without even realising that that was what was happening) of the fan community around me. It's where I learned about the idea of campaigning as, y'know, a thing that I could do. It introduced me to the concept that I could actively try and do things to make a change I wanted to see in the world.

And now that's my actual literal real world adult job. This is what I do in my 9-to-5. Some of the skills I learned and developed at seventeen (and the lessons from the fuck-ups - oh boy there were many of those because I was seventeen) trying to get the BBC to un-dead my favourite bisexual welshman are skills that I now use every day to actually create change (such as writing persuasive emails to influence a specific target).

And I've also used them outside of the 9-5 in the smaller grassroots campaigns I've been involved with. For example, the skills I learned from a fan campaign when I was a teenager helped me play a small part in stopping the deportation of young autistic man, and potentially saved his life.

There's a HUGE amount of crossover/symbiosis between fan campaigns and 'real world' campaigning. A huge number of people involved in these fan campaigns are already involved in organising (or at the very least supporting/donating) for 'real world' issues. And, if they're not, then a fan campaign may well be their introduction to campaigning - a 'wow ok so I can actually do this' moment that inspires them to start pushing for change on other issues too.

It's fantastic if someone goes 'hey, I managed to call Netflix about picking up Our Flag Means Death, which has made me realise maybe I can also cope with picking up the phone to call my political representatives about [insert other issue here]' - and if the strategies they put in place to help them do the Netflix phone call also help them do the political phone calls as well, then that's absolutely brilliant.

The same with getting experience/confidence writing emails, or learning how to create and push a hashtag on social media, or realising the power of taking mass actions (like signing a petition). It even goes so far as inspiring people to follow up a fan campaign donation with an additional donation to a good cause, and helping direct them to some good charities/initiatives to donate to (because sometimes knowing which are the right ones to send your money too is very hard). These are all skills and experiences that can help build both confidence and understanding of how to get involved with campaigning for change, and these are absolutely transferrable to an infinite number of causes.

It's about people feeling empowered to take action: feeling like they can do it, that it's tangible to them as something they can do, and giving them the tools to do it. The endgame in real world advocacy and campaigning is getting stuff done: petitions signed, phone calls made, emails sent, donations collected, rallies attended.

And no one (outside of the internet moral purity police) cares if your journey getting there started with a fan campaign.

#erin waffles #save ofmd #save our flag means death #renew ofmd #renew our flag means death #adopt our crew #ianto jones #torchwood #save ianto jones #advocacy #campaigning #look at me in these pictures i'm a fetus

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aropride · 11 months

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(ID: an instagram post caption from Maine Trans Net (@ mainetransnet).

Breaking news out of Augusta! Our Bills are becoming law!

LD 956: LGBTQ data collection in HealthCare is now law (first bill of its kind in the US)

LD 942: Nonbinary inclusion on state forms and databases is now law (first bill of its kind in the US)

LD 1507: Reissued marriage certificates following gender change and self affirmation on death certificates is now law (first bill of its kind in the US)

LD 1040: Enshrining MaineCare coverage of Gender Affirming Care into state statutory law (so it can't be undone by the next gov whomever that is) is now law

LD 489 (updates rules about how the Maine Human Rights Act applies in educational settings, it will keep queer kids safer) is now law

Now are just waiting on 535 (GAC for 16+ minors with out parental consent). We're expecting a vote this week (another first bill of its kind in the US)

This is what is possible when we empower trans leadership. If these achievements mean something to you, please support our work at www.mainetrans.net/donate (link in bio) so we can keep it going.

end ID)

really cool stuff happening in maine for trans people btw :D

#text #good news #maine politics #us politics

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f1minist · 1 month

Text

Feminist Youtube Videos for Every Topic

A collection of feminist content, organized topically for ease.

Separatism:

on separatism and heterosexuality

why separatism is good

we're gonna die sometime. might as well be separatists.

stop choosing patriarchy

separatism is a choice

biggest impact, but most won't do it

on vetting men

the benefits of separatism are endless

men cannot be rehabbed

of course the slave is full of rage for her slave master

Lesbian Stuff:

who can use the word 'lesbian'?

on defending gay rights and spaces

what are lesbians supposed to do about het women?

gender critical lesbophobia

the constant rage for gold star lesbians

Political Lesbian Critique:

a simple breakdown of political lesbians

political lesbians... are you ok?

political 'lesbians' are not actually lesbians

i didn't 'come to lesbianism'. i was always here.

homosexuality is not a choice

for those who confuse polilez vs febfem

Comp Het Critique:

comp het isn't a thing

lesbihonest-art (RIP) on comp het

on lesbian experience, by @sunlight-beauty

on comp het, by @rakastiikeri

sespursongles (RIP) on comp het

Preferred Pronouns:

on 'cis' and other language

pronouns are rohypnol

preferred pronouns? no.

what are your pronouns?

Anti Make-Up / Beauty / Femininity:

3 years without makeup: 5 benefits i've experienced

sephora girls: why are ten year olds wearing make-up?

marked women

makeup isn't empowerment

why i stopped wearing makeup

bimbofication: a dangerously idiotic trend

empowerment? no.

give the middle finger to patiarchy

radfems in eyeliner

makeup infinity

on makeup and radical feminism

maintaining the status quo hurts all women

the audacity of the bare-faced woman

critiquing is not shaming

why do women do beauty?

choice feminism is a lie

actually gender critical

Anti Surogacy / Natalism / Procretion:

about mothers

forced pregnancy is involuntary servitude

egg "donation" is exploitation

on sperm giveaways

motherhood is not untouchable

homosexuality does not include reproduction

why i don't want kids

why i'm childfree

on procreation and patriarchy

Porn / Sex Work Commentary:

instagram vs porn

'sex-positive feminism' benefits men (and hurts women)

the influence of porn on the trans trend

on 'sex work'

speaking out on prostitution

'sex work is work'? no, not really.

let's stop acting like 'sex work' is empowering

is porn 'for women' okay?

porn is apocalyptical

'ethical porn' cannot exist

stop glamourizing 'sex work'

porn is the pinnacle of evil

is r/antiwork pro exploitation?

Trans Critical:

mainstream, revisionist, queer nonsense

why transwomen don't have 'female brains', from @ilistened2transwomen

why the hate?

why i decided to stop using the term 'transwoman'

on trans rights activists

TRAs loooove white men

the untouchable male creep - AGPs on parade, from @ilistened2transwomen

'intersectional' does not mean 'trans inclusive'

non-binary is deeply rooted in misogyny

25 questions for trans activists

women's sports are not a dumping ground for mediocre men

on "identifying as" women

stacia samaya on 'non-binary'

why sex is binary

trans rights, or trans privileges?

always chasing the dragon

27 ways in which trans activism is harmful

the actual human rights law

on 'trans women are women'

is transitioning ever 'the best' option?

autogynephilia - a brief overview

the rise of the heterosexual queer

phobia indoctrination

transing away the gay

5 tips for talking gender critical, by @runawaysiren940

the transing of language

autogynephilia, not dysphoria

rainbow-washed progressivism

transwomen are not women

how i became gender critical

autogynephilia explained

#feminism #youtube #transgender #lesbian tag

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spuffybot · 10 months

Text

I just saw that Oklahoma is working on a book ban that would remove all mentions of sex. This is…beyond dangerous and scary. It’s also reflective of the true motivations behind all of this: to reinforce gender roles, to subjugate women, to enforce heteronormativity, and to prevent children and teens from empowering themselves with knowledge.

When you keep “sex ed” in the home you get pregnant teens, immense shame around sex and sexuality, increased risk of STI’s, increased risk of abuse, and queer people with no safe way to explore or express their identity.

When I was in 8th grade, a trashy romance novel changed my life. My parents didn’t talk about sex. My mom would make me cover my eyes during sex scenes, or fast forward them. The impression this gave me was that sex was something truly awful and scary. She never talked to me about puberty, never talked to me about dating (forbidden, of course), and never ever talked to me about sex. I was the last girl in my class to shave their legs, I never knew what the other kids were talking about, and I had immense fear and shame around sex.

I started to recognize my queer feelings when I was 12, and not to derail, but this only amplified my feelings of terror.

Then, in eighth grade, a friend gave me a book, because she knew I liked fairies and I think she sensed I was anxious about sex. The book was A Kiss of Shadows by Laurel K Hamilton. Now, i could go on about how problematic Hamilton is as an author, but that’s not the point. At the time, this book opened a whole new world to me. The protagonist, Merry Gentry, was a beautiful, confidant, and brave young woman. And she had sex. A lot of sex. And she wasn’t ashamed of it. In fact, it was part of her power and part of her story. And she didn’t just have sex, she experienced pleasure, and her partners prioritized her enjoyment and treated her with respect.

To be a young girl on the brink of my first romantic relationships and having this book be my first introduction to sex, was a game changer. Merry taught me about consent and protection, that sex and love could co-exist, or not. She showed me that a woman could be sexual and still powerful, respected, and desirable. She defied everything I had ever been led to believe about sex and she drastically altered how I felt about my own desires.

Books are knowledge and experience. They challenge what we know and how we think. They expose us to people we would have never met otherwise. They connect us on a deeply personal and human level.

These bans will hurt real people. They will make small worlds even smaller, and leave kids like me without the chance to see a better way.

Please don’t buy into this puritanical censorship. Kids learning about themselves, their bodies, their identities, and their options is not harmful. Leaving kids in the dark is harmful. Cutting off their resources is harmful. Denying them autonomy is harmful.

#book banning #anti book bans #don’t ban books #book bans

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