Look Upward

I never thought it was weird growing up for someone to never get married or have kids because one of my uncles did that. I never thought it was weird to be vegan because one of my cousins did that. I never thought it was weird to have a mixed race family because I had cousins and aunts and uncles with mixed race families. I never thought it was weird to be divorced because several of my family members got divorced. And their ex husbands and ex wives still showed up to family gatherings. I never thought it was weird for a woman to have short hair and dress masculine because one of my aunties did that.

Here is an article about the bill, introduced to the Michigan State House on 9/11/2025, and the text of the bill: CBS Article, Bill PDF

This bill would prohibit:

The depiction of sexual acts in any manner, including written and of fictional characters

The "depiction, description, or simulation, whether real, animated, digitally generated, written, or auditory, that includes a disconnection between biology and gender by an individual of biological sex imitating, depicting, or representing himself or herself to be of the other biological sex by means of a combination of attire, cosmetology, or prosthetics, or as having a reproductive nature contrary to the individual's biological sex." Meaning any representation of Trans people or GNC people.

"The promotion or sale of circumvention tools to access prohibited material" meaning VPNs.

It is extremely important that this bill receives strong pushback from residents of Michigan. Because it is abhorrent in its rhetoric, censorious, and because if it passes (and potentially, even if it doesn't) it is likely that the GOP will attempt to replicate the bill in other state legislatures (if they are not already doing so).

If you live in Michigan, here is what you can do:

Contact your STATE LEGISLATORS. This means your representatives in the Michigan House and Michigan Senate. These are the individuals with direct power over this bill, NOT your representatives to the national House and Senate.

Here is a website that will help you locate your representatives. It will also provide you with their contact information.

It is PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT that you contact your House Representatives if they are Josh Schriver (District 66, covering parts of Oakland, Washington, Addison, Oxford); Joseph Pavlov (District 64, parts of Sarnia and surrounding); Matt Maddock (District 51, incl Highland, Milford and surrounding); James DeSana (District 29, incl Flat Rock, Berlin, the area outside of Monroe); Joseph Fox (District 101, incl parts of Cadillac, Fremont, Big Rapids); Jennifer Wortz (District 35, incl Coldwater, Hillsdale and surrounding). These are the bill's sponsors.

It is also important that if you live in their districts you contact Sarah Lightner (District 45), Brian BeGole (Dist 71), Tyrone Carter (Dist 1), Douglas Wozniak (Dist 59), Mike Harris (Dist 52), Jay DeBoyer (Dist 63), Gina Johnson (Dist 78), Bill Schuette (Dist 95), Kara Hope (Dist 74), Kelly Breen (Dist 21), and Helena Scott (Dist 8), who are the members of the Michigan State House Judiciary Committee, which is where the bill has been referred. The bill must make it out of the committee before it can be voted on on the floor.

It is possible that the Republicans in particular will not listen to you, HOWEVER you can make their lives hell over this bill. You can make this bill and others like it VERY undesirable to sponsor in future by calling, emailing, faxing, and sending physical letters.

Resources for contacting your legislators: 5 calls, ResistBot

It is also likely that the local Democratic Party offices will organize against this bill. You can build coalition with them (or any parties/organizations left of them) and move to defeat the bill. It is likely that LGBTQ organizations will also organize to resist the bill, possibly building coalition with ISPs and VPN providers, whose business would be seriously impacted by the passage of the bill. You may also look out for information from the Attorney General of Michigan's office, as they would be forced to enact the prohibitions.

Hello, my name is Nadin. I’m from Gaza. I’m a graphic design graduate, a wife—and now, a mother.

I finished my design studies just before the war began. I had dreams of starting a small studio, of creating art that told stories. I used to think about colors and fonts and the future.

Then, the war came. And the future became something we tried to hold onto, moment by moment.

On October 22, 2023, I learned I was pregnant when a missile destroyed my husband’s family home, killing 25 members—his mother, siblings, nieces and nephews—entire branches of our family in seconds.

We were displaced twice. Everything was gone—home, safety, routine, rest.

A few weeks later, I gave birth to our daughter. There was no crib, no celebration—not even stillness. But she arrived, quietly and beautifully. In her eyes I saw something I hadn’t felt in weeks: life that still wanted to grow.

Now, our days are shaped by decisions that could dismantle the future we are trying to build together.

Today, Israel’s government is discussing plans for a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City and southern regions. The stated aim: to eliminate Hamas and later hand governing control to allied Arab forces—not Israel—but with no clear path to peace or normalcy.

The humanitarian fallout is devastating. More than 61,000 Palestinians have died in this war; hunger and malnutrition are rising sharply. Hospitals in north Gaza have shut down, and 193 people have now died of starvation, nearly half of them children.

Aid remains blocked, water is scarce, and many risk dying of hunger or disease long before future promises arrive.

We Don’t Know What Comes Next There’s no clear path forward—only uncertainty for our daughter’s life and our ability to survive another day.

How You Can Help I’m asking for support—not for comfort, but for survival:

Help us meet basic needs so we can breathe, heal, and preserve a world for our daughter.

Support us as I try to stand again on my own feet—even a glimmer of stability matters.

Nobody's going to magically swoop in to rescue you. You can't just sit there and expect someone else to come save you. You have to get your shit together and do it yourself.