let me rot in the field, set the seed

Trans kids may take puberty blockers, or hormones that temporarily suppress puberty,  to postpone their puberty, i.e. stopping puberty from feminizing or masculinizing their bodies before they are old enough to decide on whether to go for hormone treatments and/or surgery. 

Anti-trans activists argue that such drugs are dangerous. Science says they are not.

A fact that is often lost in this debate is that puberty-blockers have been used for years by cis (non-transgender) kids.  None of the anti-trans activists have ever complained about this. Why?

Vice reports:

“Puberty blockers have been used for decades in cisgender kids who either are going through puberty too early, or, in some instances, kids who are going through puberty very quickly,” Jason Klein, a pediatric endocrinologist and Assistant Director of the Transgender Youth Health Program at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, told VICE. 

“Their use has been FDA approved, well-studied, well-documented, and well-tolerated for a long time now. And it’s the exact same medication that we use in trans or nonbinary children to basically put a pause on pubertal development. Exactly the same medications, at exactly the same doses.” 

The Republican anti-trans bills leave exceptions specifically for cis kids.The  laws target puberty blockers only when used in transgender health care.

In other words: They do this not in order to protect trans kids, but to preserve a transphobic society.

Stop backing up my fucking files.

Stop asking me to back up my fucking files.

Stop taking my fucking files off my fucking computer.

I don't want a fucking reminder in three fucking days. Let me fucking say no.

Here's a text tutorial to get rid of that shit on Windows 11.

Here's a video tutorial to get rid of that shit on Windows 10.

Here's a video tutorial to get rid of that shit on Windows 11.

A Meditation : 68 Capybaras

Several years ago, a neighbor kid kicked a football and shattered a small basement window. We were a family of six and were living on a teacher's salary at the time, so I boarded it up thinking I'd get to it someday. The frame was rusted shut. I couldn't fix it.

1/

Over the years, I'd sometimes get estimates from window companies. Of course, the plan was to upgrade to energy-efficient windows for the whole house. $15,000. It was simply out of reach. In the meantime, the boarded window let in bugs but not light.

2/

One contractor explained that the location of the window, with the frame embedded in the foundation, meant that whoever replaced it would have to chisel it out by hand, a labor-intensive and expensive process. And there were six of those windows in the house.

3/

Honestly, the thought of that window ate at me for years. Every time I went down there, every time I went to the hardware store, it nagged at me. I knew I needed to address it, but I had built up the process (and the price) so much in my mind that I was paralyzed.

4/

Then my wife had a job change, and we needed to move. I knew that potential buyers couldn't get an FHA loan on the property if there was a broken window. So I pulled off the boards and cardboard to face this thing head-on. It had been at least 5 years.

5/

I thought, "What the heck. i'm going to have to pay for it anyway." I grabbed some WD-40, sprayed it all around the rusted frame, and gave it a tug. To my astonishment, it moved for the first time in decades. I pulled the window out and took it downtown. It was a $12 fix.

6/

I could have fixed the problem for $12 the same day it happened. But I let it haunt me for years, shutting out light and letting in bugs. And I finally fixed it for someone else when the house was empty. It didn't need to be the most efficient. It just needed to be a window.

7/

OK, this isn't really about my window. I mean, the story is true. But it's also a decent parable. Many of us, especially those with ADHD, anxiety, or depression, tend to live with broken windows of one type or another for years.

8/

Everybody's broken windows are different. They are things that seriously affect our quality of life, and we know they need to work, but the actions to address them seem too daunting. I've still got plenty of them myself. If you recognize yours, a few things to know:

9/

- An imperfect solution now is better than a perfect solution that will never happen.

- Doing the thing is often less painful than thinking about doing the thing.

- Acknowledging how the problem is affecting you can reduce its power over you.

10/

- Don't blame yourself for dwelling on your broken windows. Just enjoy the light when you fix one.

- There are some windows you can't fix by yourself. Find the right help for the right window.

- You don't have to fix it all now. Just start by starting.