here.

The original concept that humans complete the act of creation by making bread from wheat is from the Talmud! And the specific "wheat but not bread, grapes but not wine" phrasing is from Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel but it is missing "clay but not bricks".

And among trans Jews the sentiment was already popular before I ever started seeing this specific phrasing so I knew, knew, knew a Jew and likely a trans Jew was involved.

As it happens, Ortberg's friend Julian is Jewish and they have strongly negative feelings about the way the quote has been removed from the context of their life as someone trans and Jewish. They used to have a thread up on xwitter about it but have since made their account private and only have a very terse FAQ online from which you can glean the treatment they likely received when being more open about their Jewishness, relationship to transness, and the interaction of both.

An old, decrepit laundromat gets replaced by an upscale bakery? And people are mad? It’s not that the poor hate organic vegan cupcakes, it’s that most of us don’t have a way to do laundry in our own home.

Run-down corner stores replaced by hand-made designer clothing boutiques? We don’t hate your eco-fabric shawl, but I can’t eat that for dinner after work like I could have a can of beans I grabbed from that corner store when I don’t have time to take the bus to the real grocery store after work.

What gentrification brings in and of itself is not typically bad, it’s that gentrification brings institutions of leisure and pleasure and makes it so that the poor have to go farther out of their way for basic necessities. It turns low-income living spaces into local tourist attractions. It can even create food deserts by putting restaurants, grocery stores, etc. in that the majority of the lower class cannot afford.

Sometimes you just need to scream about it

Influence or Deinfluence My Birthday Book Cart (Come On, You Know You Want To) 🎂

Good morning, book lovers and bookish bats. Last week, my girlfriend said something along the lines of, "You can get one for your birthday," and my response was, "Yeah, except that's months away." No, it's not; I've simply lost all sense of time. My birthday is July 2, and as a tradition, bae always takes me to an indie bookstore in ATL. Since the SEO blog writing company I've worked for the last eight years went under in January, however, I've been on a MAJOR book-buying freeze. 🦇

So I need your help! Here are the books on my TBR, plus books I've read and loved, that are currently missing from my shelves (yes, a few would be pre-orders). Help influence or deinfluence my birthday book cart to help narrow down my options the next time I go book shopping! Which books should I buy (or not!)?❓

A few people on Bookstagram recently DM-ed me asking if they could send me books (including an author who offered a sign copy of one of my favorite queer romances, which definitely made me cry in the car), which honestly left me speechless. There's a link in my bio to my Bookshop.org wishlist. All purchases financially support All the Tropes Romance Bookstore; one of my favorite indie bookstores in ATL. Absolutely zero pressure (totally ignore this paragraph), but big thank you's to the people who have already reached out. 💜

Or you can donate to the Queer Liberation Library / @queerliblib. Every contribution helps keep QLL accessible for readers who may not otherwise have safe, affordable access to queer stories -- access I didn't have growing up. Their mission: "Help us in our mission to connect LGBTQ+ people across the U.S. with literature, information, and resources that celebrate the unique and empowering diversity of the queer community." Every small contribution makes a big difference. 💜

A zine of questionable haircut advice :)

Download for free here

I thought about just tagging this 'nuff said, but it's not.

I want to say something to all of the women under 50 on this site. Ready? You do not have to be over 50 to start taking up space.