I am having sticky apricot chicken and broccoli for dinner, despite the fact that I didn’t nail it the first time I attempted it. Because what is life, if not for second chances?
Queer as in F*ck You
… Duh. Early Access to Gender-Affirming Hormones Linked to Better Mental Health, Study Finds
There’s a Black queer love story featured in the new Essence and if you’re a Black person who grew up with stacks of the magazine on every surface of your house/ grandma’s house/ hair salon (which is… all of us), you already know what a big deal this is. Scroll the IG carousel for the story:
Saw This, Thought of You
I Was an Instacart Shopper. I Had Enough When Someone Gave Me a 1-Star Review for Too-Ripe Bananas. Read this. No, I’m not fucking around. Read this.
Wait did really you scroll by without reading that? Nope, do not pass go. Read it before you move on.
And speaking of must reads, Abeni has this to say about the following essay: ” Mia Mingus is one of the most important writers we have. It was … a very difficult read. But I have to sit with why I felt so attacked reading it, and think more deeply about my commitment to living out my beliefs about disability justice. As I think we all should.” You Are Not Entitled To Our Deaths: COVID, Abled Supremacy & Interdependence
For the 36 Countries With the Lowest Vaccination Rates, Supply Isn’t the Only Issue. It’s also an interactive map.
Linktree Is Kicking Many Sex Workers Off Its Site
I got this from my very sweet, anxious 69-year-old aunt today, and then it was also dropped in the Autostraddle slack, so lots of people want you to know this: If you live in the United States, you can sign up now for your free COVID home test kits! (that’s literally the link to sign up, I’m making it so easy for you!)
What Elmo’s Viral Moment Tells Us About How Parents Watch Kids’ TV. “Is Doc McStuffins’ hospital unionized? How does Daddy Pig’s office function? We have questions.”. WE. HAVE. QUESTIONS!!!
Political Snacks
Jim Obergefell, Namesake of Landmark Supreme Court Case, to Run for Ohio House
Hah. I scrolled past but then read the instacart article and OMFG! Thanks for the link Carmen.
Hah. You’re welcome!
Also, the You Are Not Entitled to our Deaths link didn’t work for me.
You can get to it from the link and scrolling down to see posts but the link isn’t going to the page atm. I’m sure it will get noticed and fixed soon!
Updated and it should work now! Thanks for letting me know (and thanks to Snaelle for the assist!)
Thank you both!
So glad to see Mia Mingus’s piece shared here, it’s SO important.
First off, wow the instacart article was soul crushing. If i had read a dystopian novel about people losing thousands of dollars over the ripeness of bananas I would have chalked it up to bad writing.
On a lighter note the article about parents watching/co-watching children’s tv I kinda feel like it’s taking itself too seriously, like I get that kids tv shows are inherently for kids first and parents second but also not every story you encounter as an adult has to have some deeper meaning. Like watching Bandit trying to wrangle two kids outside of a restaurant and have it all go to hell is actually deeply cathartic without having to read more into it.
Well that instacart article has strengthened my resolve not to use such services. Or to ever shop at Amazon and related places. What a nightmare.
Very much enjoyed the Elmo link! Taking It Too Seriously is one of my favorite types of play.
I have really bad exczsma and because of this many food allergies. People usually never care to understand my allergies and I have been left hungry and in pain many times. I know exczsma does not hurt for some people, but my skin often burns. It’s pretty bad. I can’t use any lotion, fragrances, sit on carpets, eat certain preservatives (which are in everything), eat dairy, eat gluten, eat red meat, and I am sure I am missing a few things. When I worked in an office during corona my hands were constantly inflamed because of constant washing. It was so painful. Holding restaurant jobs is painful for that reason too, but I had to make money. People have commented on my skin, but will rarely take the time to understand that I have tons of allergies that affect me and cause me actual pain. I have been told that I am way too much, but that I have to cook special food for relatives who don’t want to consume too much garlic …
I’m not saying I am disabled, but I do understand that people will make hundreds of excuses as to why they can’t go even half a step out of their way. My “family members” have to cook broccoli in actual dairy butter so I just have to bring my own food to dinner. That’s literally half a step, olive oil could have been used. Dairy butter is not special. I didn’t ask for the whole meal to be gluten free just one dish. And family is supposed to be there.
People have made fun of me or acted like I am gross because of the food I eat or how my skin looks. Yeah my skin is going to look gross if I don’t have the proper food.
I had a former friend who laughed and kept on saying that the pandemic is not even bad for young people. It was bad for their mental health not being able to play a concert… I know a good amount of people who are forever disabled from Corona and I am not sure why this is being ignored.
You want to go to a concert? Fine, but don’t laugh at me because there are people younger than me who are disabled FOREVER. I dream of running a small farm, I already have a ton of things I can’t do because of my skin conditions (forgot one! Going in pools, the chlorine has absolutely fucked with my skin) I’m not exposing myself to COVID. And I want this shit to end.
Even though I am not disabled, that article hit home for me. People will rarely go half a step out of their way, but they usually want to be seen as great people …
What the heck autocorrect eczema, lol
omg that instacart article! totally agree Carmen don’t be the one who does the 1 star rating but also (as you of course know) the problem is not the 1-star rater but the system!!!! what a truly horrible evil system
Today in Horrifying Florida News I Just Learned About, one of the members of the Florida House filed a bill that “prohibits person from selling or renting specified materials to minor; requires school districts to proactively remove specified materials; requires school districts or specified schools to notify & request written consent of parents before teaching of reproductive health or any sexually transmitted disease; prohibits student whose parent does not give such written consent from being penalized; permits objections from parents or county residents to additional types of materials; requires school boards to annually review specified materials & immediately discontinue use of any found to be inappropriate or unsuitable; authorizes student’s parent or county resident to contest on specified grounds school board’s adoption of certain instructional materials” on January 7. I’m afraid that posting a link will get caught in the filter, but a quick search for “Florida House Bill 1305 2022” will turn up a summary and the full text of the bill. (The second line is “revising the definitions of the terms “child p*rnography,” “harmful to minors,” “obscene,” and “person””, which seems like it spells nothing but trouble.)
This is going to hurt everybody if it passes, but especially queer people and ESPECIALLY queer kids. In tandem with Florida Senate Bill 148, which aims to end teaching about racism in any way that MIGHT make someone feel “guilty”, not only in schools but in private workplaces, in Florida, things are not looking good for people of color or LGBTQ+ people in the Sunshine State. We’re not okay.