Love knows no console.
this is the best
Category: Tumblr crossposts
Crossposts from tumblr (for posterity)
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the most unrealistic thing about tv shows is how literally out of all the characters on the show no two characters have the same name??? like take any group of 20 white people i guarentee you like five of them are john
One of my friend groups has numbered Daves, not to mention Dan and T’other Dan, commonly known just as T’other.
Aoifes, Aoifes everywhere :)
I worked in a small team of three people, the other two of whom were named Caroline. A fourth member was added to the team shortly before I left for another job. Her name was also Caroline.
I think everyone was slightly relieved I was only there for a short time because they didn’t have to stop calling the team “the Carolines.” As in “I’m not sure, maybe the Carolines will know which driver has the north Rocommon route on recycling week.”
This is why I translated my name when I started college. Apparently something about 1980 – 1982 or so made people call baby girls Sarah.
My friends during middle school included a Jessi, a Hannah, another Hannah, an Emily, and an Olive.
My friends from high school included a second Jessi, a third Hannah, another Emily, and an Olivia. Also like 2 Nicks and a David.
Storytelling was always an adventure.
My current cohort at work includes; Lauren, Laura, Lorrie, Lisa, Lindy, and Lynn.
I used to live in a small village where yes, 50% of all the women born between 78-82 were called Sarah. SO MANY SARAHS.
I attended the University of St. Catherine, a Catholic women’s college. Easily a third of the student body was named some version of Mary (Maria, etc.) or Catherine (Kathleen, Kate, Cat, Katie, Katelyn, etc.).
One summer I worked with a Jesse (final ‘e’ silent), a Jessie, and a Jessica. I was the only one who could keep their names sorted out. I think we had 7 Matts in my year in High School, too. Most of them got referred to by their last name, as I recall.
In one ER I worked in we had sufficient Kates to staff the entire department with us. On one occasion it happened (not, so far as I know, intentionally). The whole day was cheerfully filled with “Oh, no, not me-Kate, you want that-Kate”.
It drove everyone else nuts.
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And now for the fightback…
In the wake of the arrest and detention of Sienna Fox, the state of Western Australia is now seeing some of the most intense scrutiny on its treatment of transgender prisoners ever. This is a major news story in basically every mainstream news outlet active on this coast.
Today, I will be writing an open letter to the Minister for Corrective Services of Western Australia, in the name of our sex worker advocacy group, calling on him to immediately cease the practice of detaining trans women in male prisons.
We need every ally we can get on this – and I mean everyone. If you represent a trans organisation, in Australia or internationally, we would love your signature on this. If you represent a queer organisation, we would love your signature on this. If you represent a sex worker organisation, if you represent if you represent an organisation dealing with any kind of marginalised people (and so, transgender people dealing with the criminal justice system), we would love your signature on this. If you are an individual activist of any prominence on any of these things, we would love your signature on this. If any of this describes any of your friends, we would love their signature too.
There will be a change.org petition to give everyone an opportunity to express support individually, as all of Sienna’s respective communities have been absolutely amazing so far, but we have never had an opportunity like this to take on the issue of trans women in the criminal justice system on this coast once and for all with this much media attention on the subject.
I am going to write up the open letter today, and anyone who signs will have a chance to see it before it goes out. I’m going to hit the phones tomorrow and call basically everyone I can think of, but it would make my life heaps easier if people could get in touch with us first!
Please, please reblog this far and wide. This is an opportunity to save not only Sienna from a unique kind of hell, but other trans women in detention in this state and those who wind up there in future. We are preparing for one hell of a fight, and we need friends, lots of them – and not just those here but those far beyond Australian shores.
If you are interesting in signing on, or know people who could, please send me an email at evolvingmatterblog@gmail.com or message me through Tumblr.
Together, we can do this.
Please share this. This is something we can all do to help prevent a monumental injustice.
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Long ago I would talk online about my perception of myself, a perception I now recognise as having come from a place of self-hatred fuelled by the transmisogyny inflicted on me and my internalisation of my own inferiority. The posts I made were similar to the posts I see today sometimes from trans women who believe we all have “male socialisation”, and while I am not going to say that those posts and mine had the same motivations I will say that I’m damn glad tumblr wasn’t around back then.
I can’t imagine how much damage it would have done to me to have hundreds of people sharing my self-hatred and thanking me for telling hard truths.
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British Academics Angry At New Course
British Academics Angry At New Course
So, I’m seeing variations and copies of this article popping up all over the internet, many referring to the course as “disturbing and dangerous”. Even a cursory reading of the supposed criticisms coming from academics who have a problem with the new course shows that it’s rooted in racism:
“This stands history on its head, projecting back on to the past something that isn’t true. The
only Africans who came here were a few with the Romans who came and
then left. I find it disturbing that our children should be taught
something that is clearly designed to feed into contemporary problems
rather than tell our island’s story properly.”Note the use of the word “properly,” and all that implies. Apparently including information about people who were not white is enough to “stand history on its head”. *eyeroll*
The entire point of contention here seems to be with some wording from a book that’s going to be used in the course, which is Peter Fryer’s Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain.
The whole “Africans arrived in Britain before the English” hyperbole just has to do with documentation of Romans of African descent being stationed at Hadrian’s Wall, along with Ivory Bangle Lady and other famous remains of Romans found in Britain. This predates the arrival of Anglo-Saxons by a few centuries, and isn’t a particularly controversial point unless you’re a white supremacist who is unreasonably threatened by historical information being available about anyone who isn’t white.
One of the historians working on the course said:
“It is an outstanding example of how a long view of history helps us
to understand and to find a place for ourselves in contemporary
society. Our research project shows how, for example, in the late Middle Ages, no one was more than ten miles from an immigrant.”The course is entitled “Migration To Britain c. 1,000 to c. 2010?. According to news outlets, the description states:
“This course will enable students to learn how the
movement of people – European, African, Asian – to and from these
islands has shaped the story of this nation for thousands of years.”That’s what’s apparently so threatening, so “Dangerous and disturbing”: the radical idea that historically, human beings have moved around. Sadly, the same arguments I’ve been having here for the last three years are the same ones still going on in academic circles now. If anyone knows more about this course and its materials, please feel free to send a submission or add it in the notes.
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srsly tho this is absolutely a thing that dudes do all the f***ing time
like where if he knows a girl doesn’t necessarily want to give him a hug, he will trap her in this position in front of witnesses where she has 2 options- both of which are undesirable for her, while simultaneously desirable for him
if she doesn’t want to hug him, whatever she does, it will suck for her.
she can 1. say nah and be the fucking asshole in front of other ppl or 2. forsake her corporeal boundaries and allow unwanted intimate contact
it’s a f***ing trap
F***ing hate dudes forreal.
too many f***ing times ugh
Story time.
One day I was on the MAX (basically a giant street car that goes all over the metro area) on my way to meet up with a few friends. I didn’t look at anyone, I didn’t speak to anyone, I just stood to the side on my phone making sure I wasn’t going to be late to my meeting.
Out of no where, this guy comes up to me and starts to chat me up. Me, being who I am, am absolutely terrified to tell this guy to f*** off. He was at least half a foot taller than me, and was way too bulky for me to fight back. So I suck it up at humor him, say hello. Before introducing himself or asking me for my name, he asks me out on a date. Not wanting to piss him off I try to make light of the situation and I laugh, telling him that my boyfriend wouldn’t like the idea, but thank you for the offer. He just shrugs and says, “He doesn’t need to know.”
At this point I’m scared out of my mind. There’s this guy who, after seeing me run two blocks to catch the train, comes up to me and has made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t going to leave without getting something out of me.
I deny him a second time, saying, “I don’t even know you’re name. We’re strangers, I don’t know you.” He finally introduces himself and asks me for my phone number. I tell him I don’t give my number out to people I’ve just met and he says, “Fine, but at least take mine so we can meet up later.” So he watches me plug his number into my phone (which I deleted as soon as I knew I was safe and away from him) as we’re pulling up to my stop. I tell him I need to leave and switch trains and he tells me, “Oh, I’ll wait with you. I don’t have any plans, so I’m in no rush.” It’s important to note what at this point he had previously told me that he was late to a job interview, but he has all the time in the world because he still hasn’t gotten what he wanted from me; a yes.
I get off of the train and he follows me, and waits at the platform with me for over ten minutes until my train arrives, asking me all sorts of personal questions about where I live and where I was going that day. As soon as the train pulls up he grabs for me and says, “Do I at least get a hug before you go?”
I was terrified. I was embarrassed. This dude, who before even asking me for my name asks me out on a date and then continues to harass me after I tell him I have a boyfriend, asks me for a hug only fifteen minutes after meeting. People around us were staring at me, as if I was being rude for denying him, and every inch of me was mortified. I wanted to run, but I felt like if I had done that he would have chased after me and things would have gotten worse. So I did, and he squeezed me so tight I felt like I was going to burst. It took me a good ten seconds to get him to let go and I ran to the train car just as the doors were closing. He was trying to get me to miss my train so I would have to wait with him even longer. I would have been stuck there for over a half an hour until the next train came by, and the platform (aside from the few buses coming by) was now COMPLETELY EMPTY. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and he knew EXACTLY how to get me alone with him.
People, if you are in a situation like this do not feel obligated to give in. If someone is making you uncomfortable and asks to touch you in any way, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SAY YES. Make excuses, be blunt, just straight up say ‘no’. If possible, go to someone else near by who you think can help you and ask them to help you. It’s important for guys to learn that they can’t get what they want just by asking over and over again.
I got lucky. But not everyone does. Please, everyone, Be Safe.
SECOND STORY TIME
So I was on the transit bus alone one time. This was my first time riding, and so already I was PETRIFIED. I sit down, pull out my ipod, and begin to play some games. This guy sits down next to me, and begins trying to have a conversation. I don’t really respond, I don’t even look at him, just give half-hearted “mhm”s and “oh”s, as I don’t want to be rude if he was just striking up a friendly conversation. He then asks me on a date.
Now, as I stated before, I already was absolutely petrified. My heart stopped and I didn’t know how to answer. So I just didn’t. He didn’t let up and I could feel his eyes on me. I quietly stammer out a “no thanks” and my stop HAPPENS to be coming up, so I pull the string thing to let the driver know I want to stop there, and once we stop and the doors open I get up and he asks me, “Well, can I at least have a hug before you go if you won’t go on a date with me?”
This makes me break. There are now people staring, as we are the only people standing up and not getting off… So I just start crying. Hell, I am bawling almost instantly. He looks so fucking freaked out and people are now getting up to come over and comfort me/question him. I don’t stop crying, and he keeps trying to comfort me by touching me, and people are yelling at him for that.
AND THEN. AND. FUCKING. THEN. THE GOD DAMN BUS DRIVER. A VERY EASILY 6 FOOT BURLY MAN. COMES OVER TO US. PULLS THE GUY AWAY. AND KNEELS DOWN. HE THEN ASKS, IN THE MOST CALM VOICE, “Did you request the stop?” I very slowly and shakily nod, as I am still crying my eyes out. He then asks, “Do you want to get off?” I give a quiet “mhm” and nod once again, and he offers me his hand. I take it, he stands up, and he escorts me off the bus. He asks me questions such as where I was going next, if I was going to meet someone shortly, if I was going to transfer buses from there. He was very polite and waited for me to answer the entire time, and my friend (who I was going to be meeting there) showed up. He asked me if this was someone I knew, I said yes, and he said alright, have a good day. He then told me- and this is something stuck in my mind forever, so it is word for word-
“If some guy EVER starts harassing you like that again, do exactly what you did there. Cry. Cry and scream and have a temper tantrum. Not only will it throw him off, but it will get others to notice. They might not interfere, they might, but you will have gotten their attention and if you happen to go missing the next day the search for you will be a hell of a lot easier because everyone in that location will have seen you screaming and crying with a guy now very awkward with his actions. They will know. That is what my daughter did, and three days after she went missing she was back in my arms. I pray for you and every other person like you who has this done. You stay safe now, okay?” And after I began blubbering again, I nodded and he left.
So this is the second lesson for yall. If you can not have the courage to say no or make an excuse, cry. Let out those sobs and tears and cry your heart out. Because it is going to make people notice and make people aware.
Reblogging for that second story. This might save a life.
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I spent a lot of time being wrong and kind of mean on the internet in the early 2000s and I’m glad only I have the archives.
You’re not alone…