DH-DD Mods

[PT: Art positions needed for intersex visual guide!]

Note: This is not a paid position. This is a project made with passion from participants who want to educate the world about intersexuality.

Hello! So, our intersex visual guide project is going well so far. The script is mostly complete (with occasional revisions), and we know how we want the comic to be formatted.

We did the sketches for the genitals/reproductive organ diagrams, and @/pastelroswell is doing the lineart. However, there are many illustrations that still need to be done, and this is where you can come in!

Whether you volunteer for just a single drawing, or for many drawings, all help is appreciated! People under 18 can only volunteer for segment 9, as all the other segments require illustrations of nudity.

We need volunteers for:

[FULLY BOOKED] Segment 1: What is perisex? Humans vs non-humans. (A random example of a necessary drawing for this segment would be a person looking at a censored computer screen with a question mark above their head.) [FULLY BOOKED] Segment 2: Overarching Terms & Information. (A random example of a necessary drawing for this segment would be a group of cosexual animals.) Segment 3: "Mixed" Genitals & Reproductive Organs. Segment 4: Urethral Traits & Penile Traits. Segment 5: Agenital Spectrum & Areproductive Spectrum. Segment 6: Split/Duplicated Reproductive Organs. ^ You won't be drawing the genital/reproductive diagrams, as those are already covered by us & Roswell. Instead, you'll be drawing group of people who have specific traits that we will list for you (ie; a person who has a bifid scrotum with estrogenized traits, and a speech bubble that has XX and a drawing of a mullerian reproductive system.) Segment 7: Hormonal Traits. Segment 8: Chromosomal Variations. (A random example of a necessary drawing for these segments would be a person with dwarfism who has a macropenis, macroorchidism, androgenized traits, and a speech bubble that has XY and a drawing of a wolffian reproductive system.) Segment 9: Co-occurring Traits & Disabilities. (A random example of necessary drawings for these segments would be a person who has severe acne, a person having a seizure, a person exhibiting the symptoms of autism, etc.) [FULLY BOOKED] Segment 10: Coercive Intersex Medical Interventions & Medical Maltreatment. Specifically, you'd be doing the hormone abuse section and/or medical maltreatment section. These drawings are more sensitive in nature, but censored enough as to not be overly disturbing to viewers. (A random example of a necessary drawing for these segments would be a person looking sickly while in the fetal position on a couch, and a bottle of hormones sits next to them, implying that the hormones are causing them to become ill.)

You must be willing to:

1- Draw non-sexual nudity. 2- Draw racially diverse and disabled characters. 3- Have your work shared with the world.

Your work could be:

1- A simple sketch (yes, traditional sketches are welcome too!) that you provide for someone else to do lineart + coloring for. 2- A drawing with lineart that you provide for someone else to do coloring for. 3- A drawing with lineart and coloring.

DO NOT SIGN UP IF you are an exclusionist, radfem, believe that men cannot experience oppression, are anti-endogenic, believe in a disorder being "inherently evil (ie; narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, paraphilic disorders [yes even the "big 3"], psychotic disorders, etc.), use ableist language (ie; misuse "narcissist", misuse "psychotic", misuse "sociopath/psychopath", misuse OCD, misuse bipolar, conflate "paraphile" with predator, etc.), think that love/sympathy/empathy are necessary to be a good person, disrespect religion/spiritual practices, pro-Israel, support Trump/Elon Musk/JK Rowling, anti-choice, or anti-homeless.

DM us if you are interested and PLEASE disclose if you have had any controversies in the past, and what the topic was about. We will be checking over your account before accepting you in.

We decided people under 18 can participate, they just cannot draw any of the prompts that include nudity. But there are many prompts in segment 9 that do not include nudity!

Speaking of segment 9 - we have a ton of prompts in there that are a simple icon-style! Sort of like this image (which is randomly taken off the internet, not an actual part of the project.)

[ID: A black and white graphic showing common symptoms of bipolar disorder, each accompanied by a simple black and white drawing: "Mood swings (mania and depression)", showing someone excitedly throwing their hands into the air and shouting, then crumpled in on themselves in depression. "Poor decision making", showing a person walking past a sign that says right and wrong, and going the wrong way. "Abnormally talkative", showing someone excitedly throwing their hands into the air with multiple speech bubbles while someone leans away uncomfortably. "Increased activity or energy", showing someone sprinting with a flag. "Racing thoughts" shows someone hunched with arms crossed, with multiple squiggly arrows going away from their head. "Decreased need for sleep", showing someone getting out of bed and waking up a confused partner. "Exaggerated self confidence", showing someone stepping up onto a pedestal while pointing at themselves, despite their sad frown. "Psychosis", showing someone holding their head, which is surrounded by swirly rings. "Loss of interest" showing someone sitting with a bored pose next to a bike, camera, and guitar. End ID.]

You do not need to be an expert artist to participate! You also do not need to be educated in intersexuality beforehand!

[PT: You do not need to be an expert artist to participate! You also do not need to be educated in intersexuality beforehand!]

We have decided to move the due date to October 26th (intersex awareness day), rather than pride month, as it's become unrealistic to expect it to be done by pride.

We refuse to go another year without this project being done. If you know anyone who might enjoy participation, please share this post with them! You can also reblog on bluesky [link.]

Please, check out the available prompts on this google doc [link], and comment or DM if any of them interest you!

[PT: Over 100 million children are homeless and/or on the streets /End PT]

That's the numbers estimated back in 2015, and regardless of whether they've grown or shrunk since then, the issue still remains that there are MILLIONS of minors on the streets.

Homelessness and street survival is an intersecting issue for people of all marginalized groups, and that includes the youth.

Homeless youth are very likely to be sex trafficked and targeted by dangerous people to be groomed into criminal activities or otherwise unsafe practices.

Many homeless youth are runaways, usually trying to escape abusive households.

Note for clarity: "Children" and "kids" throughout this post will be referring to teenagers as well, since minors of all ages are grouped together in these statistics.

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What is homelessness and street children?

[PT: What is homelessness and street children? /end PT]

Homelessness is defined by a lack of stable housing. This includes living without shelter, in a tent, in a car, in a homeless shelter, couch surfing, or using public locations/transport for shelter.

"Street children" are children who spend a majority of their time on the street due to housing complications. Some of them are not considered "truly homeless", because they technically have a house, but this house is usually inaccessible or unsafe for them, and thus they do not reside in it much, if at all. Usually, they only spend the night there, but the rest of their time is spent outdoors.

When discussing the statistics of both these concepts, I cannot neatly discern between them, because so many of the studies use the statistics interchangeably. Street children have very few distinctions anyways, and thus trying to separate the two is usually not beneficial anyways.

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What are the statistics of homeless youth and street children around the globe?

[PT: What are the statistics of homeless youth and street children around the globe? /end PT]

Around 30 million children in Africa are homeless/on the street.

There is no overall consensus on how many children in Asia (including The Middle East) as an entirety are homeless/on the street, however it is estimated to be quite high, with individual locations being given statistics (Bangledash having 445,000 homeless/street children, India having 11 million, Pakistan having 1.5 million, Indonesia having over 170,000, Iran having anywhere between 60,000-200,000, the Phillipines having 1.5 million, Turkey having 88,000, etc.)

There is also no overall consensus on how many children in the Oceania are homeless/on the street, however Australia estimates around 76,000, and New Zealand estimates around 33,000.

Around 400,000 children in the EU (European Union) are homeless/on the street. There is no overall consensus on how many children in Europe as a whole (not just the EU) are homeless/on the street, however individual countries also have statistics.

Over 1.2 million children in the USA are homeless/on the street. Over 40,000 children in Canada are homeless/on the street.

Around 40 million children in Latin America are homeless/on the street.

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What ways do homeless youth and street children suffer?

[PT: What ways do homeless youth suffer? /end PT]

A higher risk of sex trafficking, rape, assault, and kidnapping. A higher risk of child labor/slavery. A higher risk of being poisoned or suffering from oral, throat, or gastrointestinal system damage (as malicious people often put poison, razors/glass/sharp objects, and other dangerous things into the food provided to the homeless.) A higher risk of sexual, reproductive, urogenital, and gastrointestinal disorders/infections. A higher risk of respiratory disorders. A higher risk of nutritional disorders, growth disorders, and starvation. Higher rates of substance use and addictive disorders. A higher risk of mental health disorders. Low or no accessibility to hygiene products or showers/bathing (which significantly increases risks of infections and diseases.)

And, of course, a higher likelihood of death and grave injury, due to weather conditions, untreated disease/injuries, hate crimes, overdose, and/or suicide.

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What about intersectionality? How does that affect homelessness and street survival?

[PT: What about intersectionality? How does that affect homelessness?. /End PT]

Note: Whenever the discussion of employment comes up, we think it is important to remember that:

1- Unemployed adults can have children, and thus, the children in the equation will be effected.

2- Teenagers can also get employed in a majority of locations, and in many countries even minors younger than that, meaning their incomes could be contributing to housing as well.

The most obvious - being low income often risks loss of housing. Hell, being "average income" doesn't even afford housing anymore for most people, in the current financial crisis. Classism and homelessness go hand in hand, and the refusal to provide for the lower class their basic needs is the direct cause of homelessness.

Being a foster kid. Discussion:

Being a foster kid greatly increases the likelihood of homelessness, due to the foster system being notoriously abusive, and not providing minors with the proper funds, stability, and education necessary to survive in life. In the USA alone, 23,000 people age out of foster care a year. 25%-50% of those who age out end up homeless. Now imagine the statistics of that worldwide, of how many people are ending up homeless the moment they turn 18 (or younger, in countries where legal adulthood begins sooner)? Additionally, minors will often run away from foster homes, because it is unsafe for them there. They wish to escape the abuse. A depressing fact is that a majority of sex trafficked youth are from foster care, usually runaways who were living on the street to avoid abuse. (You can read our post about the statistics of foster kids here [link.])

Being disabled. (Note: Some of these statistics leave out emotional, behavioral, personality, or other mental disabilities, and also often leave out "small" physical disabilities, so the statistics may actually be higher if all disabilities were included.) Discussion:

We could not find any overall statistics on the intersection of homelessness and disability in Africa and Asia, unfortunately. However, disabled people in Africa often suffer forced evictions and are more likely to be impoverished, and we did find statistics on specific locations of Asia (ie; 42% of homeless people [including adults] in Nagoya Japan are neuropsychologically disabled, 15% of homeless people [including adults] in Hong Kong are physically disabled, in South Asia 85% of disabled people [including adults] are unemployed which greatly risks homelessness, etc.) We could not find any overall statistics on the intersection of homelessness and disability in the Oceania as a whole, however we did find statistics in Hawai'i, Australia, and New Zealand. in Hawai'i an estimated 62% of homeless people [including adults] are disabled. In Australia, an estimated 9.5% homeless people [including adults] are disabled, and 8.9% have an unknown disability status. In New Zealand, 4.1% of homeless people (including adults) are disabled. We could not find any overall statistics on the intersection of homelessness and disability in overall Europe, however in the UK alone, 35-39% of homeless people [including adults] are disabled (and for comparison, only 20-22% of the overall UK population are disabled.) In Canada, there is no minor-specific statistics for disability, however 50-60% of the overall homeless population (including adults) are disabled. In the USA, 19% of homeless K-12 [pre-college] students are disabled (and for comparison, only 14% of the overall USA student population is disabled.) We could not find any overall statistics on the intersection of homelessness and disability in South America as a whole, however in Latin America, disabled kids are 15% more likely to not attend school (and those who do attend are more likely to drop out), which inherently leads to employment issues down the line (and thus, housing issues) Additionally, 1 of every 5 households in extreme poverty houses a disabled person. And in some locations, people with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed (ie; in Argentina 91% of disabled people are unemployed), earn less money in work (ie; in Mexico and Costa Rica, disabled people earn 20% less than their abled peers), and/or have no insurance (in Ecuador, 84% of disabled people have no insurance), which can cause or exacerbate housing issues.

Being queer. Discussion:

In Africa, we could not find any statistics of the overall intersection of being LGBTQIA+ and homelessness, however homelessness is highly reported by LGBTQIA+ people (especially youth.) We could not find any statistics of the overall intersection of being LGBTQIA+ and homeless in Asia, however we did find a few for individual Asian locations (ie; in Singapore 20% of LGBTQIA+ people [including adults] experience homelessness, in the Philippines 12% of people who are 15-25 are homeless, In Japan 4 in 10 LGBTQIA+ people struggle with housing, in India there is a hidden housing crisis within LGBTQIA+ people, etc.) We could not find any statistics of the overall intersection of being LGBTQIA+ and homeless in the Oceania, however we did find some statistics for Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, queer-oriented people [including adults] are twice as likely to be homeless than nonqueer-oriented people, and 1 in 5 trans & gender diverse people aged 18-25 suffered homelessness (unfortunately we cannot find a statistics for people younger.) In New Zealand, 2.6% LGBQTIA+ people who are 15 and above are homeless, and unfortunately there is not a clearcut estimate on minors under the age of 15. In Europe, 17.39% of LGBTQIA+ people [including adults] have been homeless, with 1/3rd of intersex people and 1/4th of trans people being homeless. In the USA, LGBTQ+ minors are 120% more likely to end up homeless. They make up roughly 30-40% of homeless youth (and for comparison, only 9.5% of the overall population are LGBTQ+) LGBTQ+ minors of color have an 83% higher risk of homelessness than their white peers. 44% of Indigenous LGBTQ+ youth, 16% of LGBTQ+ Asian & Pacific Islander youth, 27% of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth, 26% of Black LGBTQ+ youth, and 36% of multiracial LGBTQ+ youth have experienced homelessness. 38% of trans girl youth, 39% of of trans boy youth, and 35% of non-binary youth have experienced homelessness (compared to 23% of non-trans & non-gender diverse homeless queer-oriented youth.) 39% of intersex youth have experienced homelessness. In Canada, 25% of homeless youth are LGBTQIA2S+ (and for comparison, only 5-10% of the overall Canadian population are LGBTQIA2S+.) We could not find any statistics on the overarching intersection of LGBTQIA+ and homeless in South America, however we did find a few in specific locations (ie; 30-40% of homeless youth in Brazil, 30-35% of homeless youth in Argentina, 30-35% of homeless youth in Colombia, 25-30% of homeless youth in Mexico, 15-25% of homeless youth in Chile, etc)

Being a person of color. Discussion:

We could not find any statistics on the overarching intersection of race and homelessness in the Oceania, however we did find some individual statistics for Hawai'i, Australia, and New Zealand. In Hawai'i, 28-50% of homeless people [including adults] are Native Hawaiian. In Australia, 1 in every 3 Indigenous Australian is homeless. In New Zealand, 31% of homeless people [including adults] are Māori, and 6.6% of Pacific Peoples [including adults] (and for comparison, 17% of the overall New Zealand population are Māori, and 8% are Pacific peoples.) We could not find any statistics of the overall intersection of homelessness and being a BIPOC, however we did find statistics in the England, Ireland, and the EU specifically. In England, Black people [including adults] are 4x more likely to be homeless than white people. In Ireland, 15% of homeless people [including adults] are Romanian, and 6% are Black. In the USA, Hispanic high schoolers are 2x more likely to experience homelessness than white highschoolers. Black highschoolers are 2.25x more likely to experience homelessness than white highschoolers. Black and Hispanic people [including adults] make up 64% of the homeless population. Pacific Islanders [including adults] have the highest rate of homelessness in the USA. Native Americans [including adults] have the second highest rate of homelessness in the USA. In Canada, 10-30% of homeless youth are Indigenous and 15.4% are Black (and for comparison, 5% of the overall Canadian population are Indigenous, and 4.3% are Black.) We could not find any statistics of the intersection of race and homelessness in Africa or South America, unfortunately.

Other. Discussion:

In the USA, 17% of English learners (which are usually immigrants) in K-12 [pre-college] school are homeless (and for comparison, 10% of the overall student population are English learners.)

Being in areas of the world subject to war, genocide, political violence, and environmental disaster. Discussion:

16% of the population in Sudan had to flee their homes due to conflict. 90% of Gaza [including adults] are homeless right now. 46% of homeless people [including adults] in Ukraine became homeless due to the invasion costing them their homes. Venezuelan immigration has led to a disproportionate amount of homeless Venezuelans in South America.

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Sources

[PT: Sources /End PT]

[PT: A compilation of my most important posts on @thisisparamisia /end PT]

Making this because Tumblr refuses to take off the mature account filter on the account, and so tons of minors are incapable of accessing paraphilia education. (Despite the fact that minors themselves can be paraphiles, and it's not uncommon for paraphilias to form during childhood [link.])

Alright, let's start.

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Post: "Educate yourself about paraphilic disorders this disability pride month!"

[PT: Post: "Educate yourself about paraphilic disorders this disability pride month!" /End PT]

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Post: "Blog relevant terminology"

[PT: Post: "Blog relevant terminology" /end PT]

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Post: "OCD vs Paraphilia"

[PT: Post: "OCD vs Paraphilia" /End PT]

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Post: "Paraphilias can be nonsexual"

[PT: Post: "Paraphilias can be nonsexual" /End PT]

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Post: "Incest, inbreeding, and the issues with incest"

[PT: Post: "Incest, inbreeding, and the issues with incest" /end PT]

[ID of the last segment (since it won't let me add it in the alt text):

Conclusive thoughts:

Incest is not technically "immoral" if all parties are fully consenting (that includes no grooming/coercion), but it is more often than not dangerous and unhealthy, and it is unlikely to even be considered by a mentally healthy individual.

Choosing an intimate partnership with a relative rather than an outside party is like metaphorically walking through a minefield when there is a world of non-risky land just behind you to explore instead.

I do not believe in arresting those who participate in consensual incest, but I also do not believe it should be encouraged, and I think they deserve psychological help, and that society should be questioning the reasons behind why such a dynamic may have formed rather than judging them.

There is a severe lack of studies on the long-term affects of consensual sibling-sibling incest, and I think that is something that needs some serious looking into.

/End ID]

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Post: "Pedophilia, hebephilia, ephebophilia, MAP, and child predator - what is the difference?"

[PT: Post: "Pedophilia, hebephilia, ephebophilia, MAP, and child predator - what is the difference?" /end PT]

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Post: "MAP is not a term for 'child predators trying to infiltrate the LGBTQIA+ community.' That is a myth."

[PT: Post: "MAP is not a term for 'child predators trying to infiltrate the LGBTQIA+ community.' That is a myth." /end PT]

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Post: "Most child rapists are not pedophiles, the same way most men who rape men are not queer."

[PT: Post: "Most child rapists are not pedophiles, the same way most men who rape men are not queer" /End PT]

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Post: "Harmful vs nonharmful acts for MAPs & Zoos"

Post: "The issues with corpse desecration"

Post: "Behaviors to avoid online"

Post: "Is it unforgivable to fantasize about real beings/real situations?"

[PT: Post: "Harmful vs nonharmful acts for MAPs & Zoos"

Post: "The issues with corpse desecration"

Post: "Behaviors to avoid online"

Post: "Is it unforgivable to fantasize about real beings/real situations?" /End PT]

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Post: "Proship vs antiship - an argument that is not actually helping anyone."

[PT: Post: "Proship vs antiship - an argument that is not actually helping anyone." /End PT]

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Post: "What makes a paraphilia queer vs nonqueer?"

[PT: Post: "What makes a paraphilia queer vs nonqueer?" /End PT]

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Post: "Red flags that someone is not safe to come out to as a stigmatized paraphile! 🚩🚩🚩"

[PT: Post: "Red flags that someone is not safe to come out to as a stigmatized paraphile! 🚩🚩🚩" /End PT]

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As a bonus, here are posts not made by me (Kris) but instead made by my headmates. These posts are not marked mature (as of right now): or @pararecovery.

Why "paraphiles who don't act on it are fine" is still a paramisic statement [link] Stop pretending to be a mental health advocate if you think people with "dangerous" paraphilic disorders are inherently predators, deserve to feel ashamed of themselves, or deserve conversion therapy [link] Children can be paraphiles [link] Parental controls and age verification are ineffective; so what is the solution? [link]

Here are some posts by @pararecovery (which is unfortunately marked as mature) that deserve attention:

Tips for coping with paraphilic disorders [link] Warning signs of an unhealthy relationship with sexual fantasies [link] Warning signs of an unhealthy relationship with fiction [link]

I would share screenshots, but tumblr only allows 30 images per post.

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And here are some resources I recommend checking out, if you're struggling with your mental health:

General:

Get Self Help [link] Therapy Worksheets [link] Project Lets [link] Fireweed Collective [link] The Wildflower Alliance [link] Stronger U/Stronger Together [link] ^These four are non-carceral support for suicidal folks. (Non-carceral means they won't call the cops to forcefully institutionalize you.) Self-harm resources [link] (Check out the "first aid" and "anatomy" information on the top of the screen for further advice about harm reduction.) Also recommend checking out @thisis-suicidism, @support-for-the-suicidal, and @self-harm-harm-reduction for further resources and support.

MAPs (though non-MAPs may find it helpful too, by just exchanging words like "minor" for whatever other thing):

Self-help modules [link] Advice, safety planning, and FAQs [link] Stop It Now UK [link] / Stop It Now USA [link] B4U-Act [link] ASAP International [link] VirPed [link] Global Prevention Project [link]

OCD & intrusive thoughts:

OCD worksheets [link] Grounding techniques for intrusive thoughts [link]

Sexual trauma:

The links included in the post (that I didn't already share in the original post above, or that aren't dead links):

Attempts to suppress sexual thoughts could result in an increase of those thoughts Helping yourself if you self-harm How to assess how toxic a group is Online harassment field manual The New Topping Book (in pdf form) The New Bottoming Book (in pdf form)

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The link included in the post: When is a sexual fantasy a problem?

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The links included in the post:

It is a legitimate tactic for defusing a situation that could otherwise escalate to become quite nasty.

I could go on all day about how pregnant people deserve autonomy. I could go on an entire tangent about the amount of pregnant minors (many of whom aren't even in the double digits) forced to carry to term due to lack of abortion rights.

I am EXTREMELY passionate about the perspective of the carrier in these scenarios, as a victim of underage pregnancy and sex trafficking myself.

But, if we look at this from the standpoint of ONLY the theoretical baby being born, it's still just...so incredibly baffling?

You (general you) do realize that expenses are at an all time high in many locations around the world, and poor people exist? That not everyone can afford a kid?

You do realize that disabled people exist, and not every disabled person is capable of caring for a child?

You do realize some people cannot survive a pregnancy, and so you could be orphaning a child upon birth?

You do realize underage people can get pregnant, and are very likely to struggle or be incapable of raising a child? And that they may not have someone to help them out?

You do realize that some people would hate being a parent, and would take that out on their child? That some people aren't fit for parental roles, and that you're just setting up everyone involved to be miserable?

You do realize that roughly 2 and a half million children are in foster care each year, either due to abuse, caregiver death, or poverty/unattainable expenses (leading to unintentional neglect)? Not allowing abortion often just puts these children into these situations.

You'd rather have a child be born just for the sake of being unwanted and/or incapable of being cared for?

40% of kids in foster care are abused. And most sex trafficked children are also foster children. Quote:

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that, "1 in 6 of the 18,500 runaways reported to [the center] in 2016 were likely sex trafficking victims." Of that number, 86% of these victims were under the protection of foster care or social services. A number of states have conducted studies on the prevalence of sex trafficking among foster youth within their own borders. For example, the Los Angeles Probation Department reported that 60% of youths arrested for prostitution had been involved in foster care. The percentage is even higher for children who have had contact with the child welfare system. For instance, 86 out of 88 children that were identified as victims of sex trafficking in Connecticut had been involved with the child welfare system in the past. Thus, it is not surprising to learn that traffickers target group homes and foster care facilities in order to recruit new victims.

Of the kids put into foster care, thousands age out of foster care, and thus, will never be adopted (or be adopted temporarily then returned). For example, in the USA, over 250,000 children go into foster care per year, and 23,000 kids age out of foster care yearly . And thats just one country. Imagine how devastating the numbers must be when combining all other country statistics.

Anywhere from 25%-50% of foster kids who age out end up homeless in the USA.

Other statistics of foster kids who age out in the USA include:

-Only 1 in 2 minors who age out will have gainful employment by the age of 24. -1 in 4 minors who who aged out of the will not graduate from high school or be able to pass their GED. -There's less than a 3% chance for minors who have aged out of foster care to earn a college degree at any point in their life. -7 out of 10 girls [with uteruses] who age out will get pregnant before the age of 21. -25% of minors who age out have PTSD. 50-80% of minors in foster care have mental health disorders. -1 in 2 minors who aged out will develop substance use disorder.

These rates may be higher or lower in other countries, but still a staggering issue.

(I apologize for the USA centrism. It's incredibly difficult to find actual statistics of foster children worldwide, which is very frustrating.)

Sources:

FOOD

Find your nearest food bank or mission, for food

grocery stores with free samples, bakeries + stores with day-old bread

different fast food outlets have cheaper food and will generally let you hang out for a while.

some dollar stores carry food like cans of beans or fruit

SHELTER

Sleeping at beaches during the day is a good way to avoid suspicion and harassment

sleep with your bag strapped to you, so someone can’t steal it

Some churches offer short term residence

Find your nearest homeless shelter

Look for places that are open to the public

A large dumpster near a wall can often be moved so that flipping up the lids creates an angled shelter to stay dry

HYGIENE

A membership to the YMCA is usually only 10$, which has a shower, and sometimes laundry machines and lockers.

Public libraries have bathrooms you can use

Dollar stores carry low-end soaps and deodorant etc.

Wet wipes are all purpose and a life saver

Local beaches, go for a quick swim

Some truck stops have showers you can pay for

Staying clean is the best way to prevent disease, and potentially get a job to get back on your feet

Pack 7 pairs of socks/undies, 2 outfits, and one hooded rain jacket

OTHER

first aid kit

 sunscreen

 a travel alarm clock or watch

 mylar emergency blanket

 a backpack is a must

 downgrade your cellphone to a pay as you go with top-up cards

 sleeping bag

 travel kit of toothbrush, hair brush/comb, mirror

 swiss army knife

Going on 6 months homeless now and have to say PLEASE search online for your local resources immediately. Even within the same county, I reached out to maybe 20 resources before being able to get into a shelter. The one that helped me was a mental illness and substance use recovery nonprofit that told me which homeless outreach division to contact. Where I live, these are departments within local police. I was eventually placed in the shelter I’m currently in through that roundabout way.

On top of that, I only found out about the nonprofit that gave me that advice because a mental health org i was already familiar with.

The shelters in my county are always full and there are multiple. From what I’ve seen, there are always more beds for men than women too, so your gender identity will shape your odds too.

I was in inpatient and residential for a month and was released to live in my car. Even while at a shelter now, the housing navigators never find places for residents and the only hope people have is through external case managers through their insurance or the og plan: moving in with a partner or family. With the latter, I’m seeing like 4 adults and 3 kids in 2 bedrooms.

Idk, this is a long rant but in short: everything is region dependent. Going to food banks didn’t work for me because besides fruit and PB it was all things that needed microwaving at minimum.

In my situation, these things were key:

I intentionally bought my car for car camping when i chose it. The months living in my car would have been even worse if it wasn’t a hatchback.

I was able to donate plasma to get cash quick, a out $80/week in average. But I didn’t get those funds if I wasn’t getting enough protein and ended up deferred

SNAP/EBT/food stamps were most important because my state offers a special program that allows homeless people to use their ebt at restaurants that will accept it.

Everything is 100x harder with ADHD in terms of sticking to a schedule and getting things done. You don’t realize how great it is to be able to leave your toothbrush on a bathroom counter or hang an outfit for the next day on your door until you don’t have those options anymore. I miss having a desk the most

I was able to continue my healthcare plan due to loopholes with my transition from employer’s hmo to state health insurance. This was a MAJOR privilege for me. The hospitals that accept the state insurance are often slow with really subpar care. Broken bones not treated correctly etc.

Free unlimited monthly cellphone service with data (i use the hotspot to do homework)

Access to college resources like the basic needs center

Free entry to local gardens and museums for two adults when i show my ebt card

Discounted Amazon Prime with ability to use ebt to buy eligible foods on there (this has been so helpful for me when I’ve been sick as they deliver to the shelter too)

Medical meals covered through state insurance+snap for me

[PT: "Gay marriage has been legalized, marriage rights don't need to be fought for anymore." /End PT]

1- This is such an narrow-minded ass thing to say. Please learn about other countries and their rights.

[ID: A world map, marking in green where gay marriage is legalized. The only places marked green on the map are Canada, the US, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecudor, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Slovenia, Greece, Malta, Liechtenstein, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, Thailand, and Taiwan. Some of South America, nearly all of Asia & the Middle East, nearly all of Africa, and all of the Oceania [aside from Australia] are marked white, meaning gay marriage is illegal. The text on the image says "Same-sex marriage is legal in nearly 40 places around the world. Note: Current to June 2, 2025. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of government sources and international news articles. /End ID.]

2- What about polyamorous marriage (polygamy)? Have you seen the map of where that is legalized? Polyamorous marriage has not been fought for in the slightest.

Below is a map of all the places that have polygamy legalized.

Black = illegal.

Orange = illegal, but not criminalized in practice (as in, they often "let it slide" if they got married in a different country/state/province where it is legal.) This means polyamorous people have no legal protections whatsoever and that the law will not be of any help to them, and could punish them if they seek any legal assistance related to their marriage.

Blue = legal.

Green = legal, but only for Muslims.

White = legal status unknown.

[ID: A world map. In Africa, the blue locations are Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, South Africa, Sudann, Togo, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The rest of Africa is either orange, black, or white. In Asia, the blue locations are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The green locations are Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan, Singapore, and India. The rest of Asia is black, orange, and a few small spots of white. Russia is orange. The rest of Europe is black. The Solomon Islands are blue. The rest of the Oceania, North America, and South America are all black. Only Antarctica and a few small specks on the map are white. /End ID.]

"Oh, but they could move to a location where it is legal" - this is classist and ableist. Not all people have the financial or medical ability to move. They might be unable to afford it, or they might be relying on specific healthcare that is only provided in their current area.

Additionally, you shouldn't have to move in order to be able to marry someone. That is a fucked up standard to give queer relationships.

Let's flip this the other way, too. If a married gay couple pr polycule from a legalized location wanted or even NEEDED to migrate to a location where their marriage is illegal, what would they do? Getting a citizenship in a new location can risk not only their relationship, but legal trouble, potentially even jail.

And finally, 3- trans, gender diverse, and varsex people are rarely considered in marriage rights either.

The legal rights to marrying someone marked with an "X" on their ID (either due to being non-binary and getting their legal marker changed, or due to being one of the rare cases of being unassigned at birth) are complicated in a majority of the world.

The legal rights to marrying a binary trans person or an intersex person who has swapped from "F" to "M", or "M" to "F" is also complicated.

Introduction post [link.]

(If you struggle to read the boxes, the text of the dialogue is written below the cut!)

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