Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. BlueSky: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
People talk about politics as if it’s this isolated, abstract concept that only matters at election time. Somebody’s politics is their world view. It’s whether they think certain human beings deserve rights. It’s how they think the world should be. And if somebody thinks that the world should be colder, meaner, less accepting and downright hostile to people that are different to them, then sure as fuck is the friendship over.
it is absolutely time for white allies to have uncomfortable ass conversations with their racist parents and friends and neighbors. it is absolutely time for you to speak tf up in class when someone says something racist or misogynistic or homophobic. the social justice movement has been built almost entirely by black women. it is time for white allies to step the fuck up and educate themselves and have difficult conversations with the people around them that say intolerant things.
“
Seventeen things you have to learn for yourself
as a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual
or otherwise Queer youth
by the time you are seventeen.
One is that the first Pride was a riot
I don’t mean that it was full of laughter, or that it was some grand party
where everyone spiraled up to dance among the stars
because the only glittering that night
was broken glass on cobblestones.
The first Pride was a riot
on the backstreets of New York
and they never tell us
that night
we won.
The only protest
in a decade full of turmoil
where the cops had to hide out in the bar they raided
and run from shouting rioters
who fought to reclaim the only patch of ground they had ever claimed as theirs
the first Pride was a riot,
and two, around the same time it took place
it was a debated topic in the gay community
whether or not they should say
that they weren’t mentally ill
which, three, homosexuality was removed
from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental illnesses
in 1974
congratulations
all it took was a vote to declare that, whoops, we were never mentally ill
except, four, there are still teenagers being tortured today
in what some dare blaspheme as “therapy"
used to destroy their self-identity
in the hopes of making them normal.
except, four, the queer community still carries overwhelmingly high rates for poverty and homelessness and depression.
Did you know that, five,
over half the children forced into conversion therapy
commit suicide?
And six, that lesbians
were regarded as “hangers-on”
of the movement
by much of the gay community
before the AIDS crisis?
Because it turns out, seven can wear a rainbow on your shirt
and still be a bigot.
There are people who stick rainbows in their ears
or wear them on their fingers
or slap them across their cheeks in badges of defiance
and will still hate you for the color of your skin
or the size of your thighs
or your gender
or the way you like to kiss two or more genders
or none of the above.
Don’t ask me why this happens
it just does
I think it might be that we’ve all been taught to hate ourselves
for so damn long
that we don’t understand what to do
in a space with no hate.
Or maybe it’s that the space seems too small, because
eight, there are people who will tell you that you are not enough
that you do not reach the magical benchmark of “gay enough” to pass through the gate even
especially
when you are some flavor of the rainbow other than straight-out gay.
eight, this is bullshit
eight, those people are bullshit.
eight, you are enough.
eight, there is always enough room.
nine, there is no overarching “homosexual agenda”
sorry
we’re all kind of flailing along in here trying to figure out some way to make it work
when most of us have nothing in common
except that society looked at us in different ways and decided we didn’t fit
so we could all go be misfits together
under one big rainbow flag
but just so you know, ten, there are plenty of other flags
there is one for you, I promise
and eleven, misfits may not all need the same things
but we need to stick together, especially in a world where
twelve—refer to point seven—there are lesbians who hate other lesbians
for having the audacity to be born in a body
that everyone looked at and saw “boy”
which brings me to
thirteen, there is so much to understand.
fourteen, you need to understand
because we need to stick together
and to stick together we do not have to be the same but we do have to understand
and it will be hard because
you were probably thrown into this world with no warning because
fifteen, being queer is not genetic and we are not unique among minorities
in that we collect our heritage through broken bits of history and research in a world constantly working to make those misfit bits go away
but we are unique in that when we try to prove our legacy
we can be laughed down
or re-erased
or flat out ignored
but I swear to you
you have a history as old as Alexander the Great
as beautiful as Sappho
as dignified as Abraham Lincoln
and as proud as Eleanor Roosevelt.
But even with that behind us
sixteen,
they have always watched us die.
because even though the bystander effect is bullshit, sixteen
Kitty Genovese was a lesbian, sixteen
Ronald Reagan is a mass murderer, sixteen
our children, your brothers and sisters and siblings of all stripes and all colors and sexualities and genders are being murdered
through neglect
and rejection
and hate.
Sixteen, there is an entire generation of gay and bisexual men
missing from history
because the government chose to do nothing
when they were dying by the thousands.
sixteen, we died from the disease and died from going back into the closet and died for staying there and died for coming out,
sixteen, they laughed at us because they believed god was punishing us for daring to love,
sixteen, ashes of your forerunners rest on the lawn of the White House because
SIXTEEN, THEY HAVE ALWAYS WATCHED US DIE.
SEVENTEEN
you are allowed
to be angry.
You do not have to be one of the nice gays
or one of the nice trannies
or sweet or kind or educate the rest of the world in something less than a yell
you are allowed to be so furious it scalds your bones
at the way we are forgotten
and passed over
at the way, as soon as June becomes July
we are expected
to go back to dying in silence
and mourning our dead
and kissing all alone
when no one can be offended
at the sight of us.
You are allowed to be angry
and scream down the stars
to shatter like broken glass at your feet
because you know what?
The first Pride
was a riot.
-Trump cannot do most of what he promised, even with a republican senate and house.
-He still has a rape case coming up and may still serve jail time.
-Trump ran as a democrat in 2012 and has tried to become president for way longer than you think. The only reason he went to republican is because he realized it would be easier.
-He is a joke and just wanted to become president as an ego boost. He’s not actually interested in making any real changes.
-His supporters will start to abandon him when they realize he can’t fulfill their desires.
-it’s just going to be 4 years. Besides, we’ve had bad presidents before and survived.
-We can always impeach him.
—
I know that it may be dangerous for a lot of people the next few days but trust me, it’s not the end of the world.
We will protest. We will impeach. We will fight. We’re not gonna let an attention hungry dried up orange ruin our lives.
Stay safe and stay positive. There is always hope and I hope this has helped you.
…yeah, this is bullshit.
Trump absolutely can do most of what he wants with both houses of Congress. Especially because he’s going to be able to stack the SCOTUS.
The rape case was dropped. Which doesn’t mean it didn’t have merit, but it’s no longer coming up.
Trump did not run as a Democrat in 2012. He threatened to run as a Republican. This is his second official run. In 2000, he ran for the Reform Party nomination.
He offered Kasich the opportunity to be “the most powerful Vice President in history,” by which he meant being in charge of “foreign and domestic policy” while Trump would be in charge of “making America great again.” So you’re right in a sense, but wrong because Mike Pence is effectively the POTUS. You know, the guy who wanted to have miscarriages investigated as murders and make those who have them have funerals for them. And wants to ban gay marriage again by stacking the SCOTUS with judges willing to overturn it. And wants nationwide stop-and-frisk.
He can fulfill his promises because he has a majority of both houses of Congress. On top of that, they didn’t start following him for logical reasons and they’re not going to stop following him for logical reasons either. You’re assuming rational thought will come from people largely incapable of it, and that’s a mistake.
In his first four years, Bush 43 had us in two wars, turned a budget surplus into a deficit, cut taxes for the rich, restricted abortion rights and stem cell research in a huge way, curtailed our civil liberties in huge ways, and started domestic surveillance through the NSA. If you don’t think Trump can do a lot in four years, you’re on crack. Also, we were certain in 2000 (and 2001, 2002, 2003, and the first ten months and change of 2004) that Bush wasn’t going to get a second term, but guess what? This country is dumb enough to elect Trump, so they’re dumb enough to re-elect him. Especially if the Democrats put up someone who isn’t “fun” enough for the morons we call our fellow countrymen. And we’ve had bad Presidents before, but they caused damage that lasted way longer than their terms (Reagan’s eight years are still causing problems twenty-eight years after he left office, and obviously we’re still feeling the effects of Bush 43), and Trump is worse than any of them by far.
We can’t impeach him. To be impeached, he has to be brought up on charges (”high crimes and misdemeanors”) by the House of Representatives and then tried in the Senate. Conviction requires a two-thirds majority vote, and removal from office is only one of an infinite number of possible outcomes. Do you think the Republican-controlled House is going to charge Trump with a crime? Do you think the Republican-controlled Senate will vote–specifically with a two-thirds majority–to convict Trump, and then choose to remove him from office rather than levy fines or something? It’s not going to happen.
We do need to protest, but your optimism is based on complete ignorance, and spreading bullshit is helping no one.
In the next couple days / weeks / always, I’d like to remind people to check the sources and dates of articles they’re sharing/reblogging. Misinformation spreads via clickbait titles on disreputable/non-news sites, or old articles with relevant titles but out-of-date information.
This is, at best, extremely frustrating and at worst, very very dangerous. There are people out there, for whatever reason, who are taking advantage of public sentiment and creating false news stories that play to our worst fears. Every time you share a false news story, you make it less likely that people will believe the real ones that come after them.
Please check your sources. Don’t help spread misinformation.
“Protect autistic kids from people who want to force and train them into hiding and repressing their autistic traits. Protect autistic kids from people who doesn’t see how amazing and perfect they are. Protect autistic kids from the people who bully and ostracize them for being different. Protect autistic kids from abusive “therapies” and dangerous “treatments.” Protect autistic kids from the people who think that the world would be better without them. Protect autistic kids.”
·
We’re closer to having successful vaccines for
lung and brain cancer.
·
New chemotherapy breakthroughs have increased
the 5-year survival for pancreatic cancer from 16% to 27% (and is getting
better)
·
Scientists figured out how to link robotic limbs
with the part of the brain that deals with intent
to move so people don’t have to think about how they will move the limb, it can
just happen.
·
Child mortality is down everywhere and it keeps
going down.
·
Thanks to the ice bucket challenge the gene
responsible for ALS has been found, meaning we are closer to an effective
treatment. Let me rephrase that: we are close to getting a treatment for a very
bad disease because a lot of people (including really hot celebrities) got wet.
·
A solar powered plan circumnavigated the world.
·
Michael Jordan donates 2mil to try and help
bridge connection between police and the community.
·
Tiger numbers are growing.
·
And manatees.
·
And pandas.
·
Pakistan has made strides toward outlawing honor
killings.
·
70,000 Muslim clerics declared a fatwa against
ISIS.
·
Pokemon Go players went insane with placing lure
modules near hospitals for sick kids.
·
California is now powering over 6 million homes
with solar power, a record in the US (and that is the tightest shit)
·
Volunteers in India planted 50 million trees in
24 hours.
·
Apparently world crime as a whole has
drastically declined as a whole in the last couple of decades.
·
Coffee consumption has been proved to help
curtail cancer and suicide rates.
·
Speaking of coffee Starbucks figured out how to
donate perishable food in a food safe way.
·
500 elephants were relocated to a better, safer
and bigger home.
·
We made massive strides in Alzheimers’
prevention (my grandmother literally told me that scares her more than getting
cancer this is very good news)
·
The ozone layer is repairing itself and all the
work we did to get rid of those aerosol chemicals was actually worth it.
·
A new therapy developed in Israel could cure radiation
sickness.
·
The Anglican church resolved to solemnize
same-sex unions the same as opposite-sex unions which required a super majority
of all three orders of the church (lay, clergy, bishop).
·
The Rabbinical Assembly issued a resolution
affirming the rights of transgender and non-conforming individuals.
·
Precision treatments for cancer are hitting
clinical trials and WORKING (as someone who’s had relatives with cancer this is
the best news)
·
Dentists are once again providing free care to
veterans who need it.
·
The Orlando Shakespeare Festival showed up with
angel wings to block funeral-goers for the Orlando Pulse victims, view from
anti-gay protesters
·
We may have cured MS
·
Rise Women’s Legal Centre opened
·
Death by heart disease has decreased by 70% in
the United States
·
Two brothers saw color for the first time thanks
to specially-designed glasses
·
Pope Francis spoke against society’s obsession with
physical beauty while dedicating Mass to the disabled community (love that
dude)
·
Portugal ran its entire nation solely on
renewable energy for four days straight
·
A retiree is launching a project to transport 80
endangered rhinos to an Australian reservation to save the animals from
poaching
·
An Afghan teacher has been delivering books via
bicycle to villages that lack schools
·
Harriet Tubman is going to replace Andrew
Jackson on the $20 bill.
·
200 strangers attended the funeral of a homeless
WW2 veteran with no family
·
A teen battling cancer married his sweetheart
·
Bank firm pays for college tuition for the
children of employees who died in the 9/11 attacks
·
New medicine has been shown to increase melanoma
survival rate to 40%
·
Over 800 Boko Harem Hostages were rescued by
Nigerian Army
·
Toys R Us is Offering Quiet Shopping Hour for
kids with autism this holiday season
·
Volunteers made special tiny Halloween costumes
for NICU babies
·
A 4-year old befriends a lonely man and helped
him heal after losing his wife
·
Families grew
·
People survived c ancer
·
People overcame depression
·
Any kind of victory, even if it affects only one
person, is a victory
·
Now for the pop culture good news
·
LEONARDO DICAPRIO WON AN OSCAR! EVERYONE READING
THIS LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE LEO FINALLY GET WHAT HE DESERVED
·
There’s a new Harry Potter book
·
And a movie
·
Harry Potter has no plans on vanishing with time
·
This sweet father gave candy to passengers on a
flight so his little girl could trick or treat on Halloween
·
LET ME TALK ABOUT ALL THE KICK ASS MOVIES WE GOT
THIS YEAR OH MY GOD
·
Kung Fu Panda 3, this franchise is still going
strong despite that its about a panda played by Jack Black
·
Jungle Book. The amazing remake none of us saw
coming
·
Finding Dory. I haven’t seen it yet but I’ve
heard good things
·
Kubo and the Two Strings. Haven’t seen that yet
as well but its Laika so I know it’s a masterpiece
·
Deadpool. The beautiful and super accurate
R-rated marvel film
·
Captain America: Civil War. Seriously is the best
marvel movie yet in my opinion I need more.
·
Zootopia. Oh
don’t mind me I’m just a movie that tackled the issue of racism and not only
game changed animated films but also made a billion dollars
·
The Hamilton Mixtape is coming out. Which is a
bunch of artists singing songs from the musical (Sia, Usher, Regina Spketor,
etc.) I’m excited.
·
A personal victory for myself, I joined Tumblr
and met angels in blog form so…that’s uplifting.
·
And I met my favorite voice actor at a con which
was a bucket list accomplishment.
Good Things that have yet to happen this year
·
Birthdays
·
Doctor Strange
·
Thanksgiving
·
Black Friday
·
Moana
·
Christmas
Good things that have nothing to do with the year but will hopefully
make you feel better
·
Puppies
·
Chocolate
·
Rainbows
·
Rain (I like listening to rain it’s one of the most
calming sounds)
·
Cartoons
·
Kissing
·
Music
·
Friends
·
FF: If you are a religious person you are an
imperfect masterpiece
·
FF: If you are not then you are a splendid coincidence
·
Any year spent with loved ones be they family or
friends is a good year. Trust me.
·
”A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why,
sometimes in life, it’s the only weapon we have” –Roger Rabbit
#NeverForgetTheGood
*Plz feel free to add other good news (even if it’s something small like you ate cheesecake THAT is good news)
This is a gorgeous post, everyone should reblog it to see the balancing side to the whole bad things happening in the world!
