dean you bi disaster

The U.S. Copyright Office is currently holding hearings about “ technical measures to identify or protect copyrighted works online.”

What does that really mean? It means they’re considering the expansion of AI filters and other technologies that flag and remove songs, images, and other content for violating copyright.

Why should you care? Frequently, these technologies target and penalize the wrong people. “Automated filters are expensive, don’t work very well in many instances, and routinely suppress lawful expression. Facebook routinely removes classical musicians because of its filter. YouTube’s filter takes money from independent creators and gives them to giant corporations. Experts in copyright law talking about what counts as infringement find that video removed and can’t figure out how to respond. Twitch removes a channel owned by its parent company. And on and on.” (From https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/02/tell-copyright-office-who-really-affected-filters). No really, why should I care? Short and sweet version - this puts fanfic, fanvids, movie reviews, and all sorts of other transformative works into jeopardy. What can I do about it? Fill out this form by February 8, 2022 at midnight to tell the U.S. Copyright Office why you’re concerned. It can be as short as you like! https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/COLC-2021-0009-0001 . You’re required to tell them what part of their inquiry you’re responding to, so tell them one of these ( or see this link for more options https://www.regulations.gov/document/COLC-2021-0009-0001): 3. “Users: How are you, or your organization, company, industry, or sector affected by technologies implemented by rightsholders and service providers to identify or protect copyrighted works online?” 6. “…What are the obstacles to adopting and broadly implementing such existing or future technical measures? Would the adoption and broad implementation of such existing or future technical measures have negative effects? If so, what would be the effects, and who would be affected?” Thanks for doing your part and fighting back against attacks on Internet freedom and fandom expression!

Use any US-based internet sites or digital services? (spoiler alert, the answer is yes if you’re reading this) Then you should be concerned about the new bill in the U.S. Senate, the EARN IT act. Under the false premise of identifying online child abuse, it paves the way for deincryption and scan photos, texts, documents, and just about anything else you can put on the internet. In fact, experts say it could make abused children even more vulnerable - and it puts all of our safety at risk by undermining our privacy.

Use any US-based internet sites or digital services? (spoiler alert, the answer is yes if you’re reading this) Then you should be concerned about the new bill in the U.S. Senate, the EARN IT act. Under the false premise of identifying online child abuse, it paves the way for deincryption and scan photos, texts, documents, and just about anything else you can put on the internet. In fact, experts say it could make abused children even more vulnerable - and it puts all of our safety at risk by undermining our privacy.

This is for science

Trans-Affirming Magical Care is a 40+ page full-color zine edited by @alexlcombs in response to JRK’s public transphobia. This zine contains comics, illustrations, fic, poetry and prose by trans fans and allies. Proceeds from the zine will be given to trans charities, including Mermaids UK. 

Here is my 6 page comic contribution to the zine! Full text: Tonk’s Tale by @redgoldsparks. I received two invitations that summer. My mother said most people didn’t have a choice about getting a period or not. But I did. When I got to Hogwarts I found the girls and boys dormitory stairs. I wondered which I should choose. Then a new staircase began to unfold in front of me. The castle offered me a third option. Most people think the best part of my gift is being able to change my hair everyday. They are wrong. The best part is being able to match on the outside how I feel on the inside. 

Alex will be tabling at the Dear Diary Zine fest ( @deardiaryzinefest ) on February 15th from 11am-5pm at the Berkeley City College, where he will have a preview version of the zine. Check it out and say hi from me! Here is a list of all the contributors to the zine: The Gayly Prophet, HP Alliance, Black Girls Create, Maia Kobabe, Ajuan Mance, Alex L Combs, Parker Kim, Daniel, @upthehillart, Damian Alexander, @lobi25, @rxbbits, Jamie, Andrew Eakett, Zeb Dezern and Zach Hauptman. 

Owls are sky cats confirmed

Loki:

For those of you who are wondering who else the original tweet is referring to, they are talking about Margaret Atwood, a very prominent feminist author (probably best known for The Handmaid’s Tale). Because she is a feminist the terfs assumed that she’d naturally side with them, and it came as a massive shock (for some reason) when she very publicly opposed and humiliated all of  terfdom.

But yeah I don’t know how terfs can possibly get through Discworld books without any kind of self-awareness but apparently they do. I’ve also seen them talking about how the Wives in the Handmaid’s Tale are all trans women (solely based on the fact that they are infertile). If you know anything about the plot or even the basic premise you’ll know how ludicrous that suggestion is.

Also there’s this

Mature is ‘and then they made love.’ Explicit is ‘and here’s how they did it exactly.’

To wit: mature.

He looked at the envelope, spread out before him.

God, he’d never been this hungry.

Could he be gentle enough? Slow enough? He didn’t want to damage it, didn’t want to do anything he’d regret… but no, no, it seemed the envelope wanted this as much as he did. It slipped into his hands, it folded as he asked. When it was time for more, the card was waiting, and he somehow knew exactly what to do. He moved with his correspondence in a dance as old as the mail system, and when it was over, he was smiling and the envelope was completely, thoroughly sealed.

Explicit:

The envelope waved its flap in the air slowly, gently, and he could see the faint shimmer of the adhesive traced along its fold. It was like a taunt, a dare: won’t you? And he would, oh, God, he would, lifting the envelope firmly to his lips, licking slowly at first, then faster, more firmly, tasting the envelope’s essence, the faint bitterness, the sweetness to follow—

Oh, he couldn’t help but smile at how it felt in his hands. It was so perfectly folded. Its paper was rough against his fingers, and its crossed folds shifted slightly as it opened for his eager tongue. Yes, yes…

Now the card, and his hand trembled as he lifted it, as he held the envelope, stretching it wide. Would it fit? Oh… oh, yes, it would fit, it slid in smooth and quick and filled the envelope to bursting, oh, made for each other, and he smiled in delight at how perfect it was.

He was ready. Now, now, now: with one swift movement he folded the flap over and he pressed, yes, he pressed the flap down and it stuck, God, it stuck perfectly, and he closed his eyes in bliss.

Mature is ‘and then they made love.’ Explicit is ‘and here’s how they did it exactly.’

To wit: mature.

He looked at the envelope, spread out before him.

God, he’d never been this hungry.

Could he be gentle enough? Slow enough? He didn’t want to damage it, didn’t want to do anything he’d regret… but no, no, it seemed the envelope wanted this as much as he did. It slipped into his hands, it folded as he asked. When it was time for more, the card was waiting, and he somehow knew exactly what to do. He moved with his correspondence in a dance as old as the mail system, and when it was over, he was smiling and the envelope was completely, thoroughly sealed.

Explicit:

The envelope waved its flap in the air slowly, gently, and he could see the faint shimmer of the adhesive traced along its fold. It was like a taunt, a dare: won’t you? And he would, oh, God, he would, lifting the envelope firmly to his lips, licking slowly at first, then faster, more firmly, tasting the envelope’s essence, the faint bitterness, the sweetness to follow—

Oh, he couldn’t help but smile at how it felt in his hands. It was so perfectly folded. Its paper was rough against his fingers, and its crossed folds shifted slightly as it opened for his eager tongue. Yes, yes…

Now the card, and his hand trembled as he lifted it, as he held the envelope, stretching it wide. Would it fit? Oh… oh, yes, it would fit, it slid in smooth and quick and filled the envelope to bursting, oh, made for each other, and he smiled in delight at how perfect it was.

He was ready. Now, now, now: with one swift movement he folded the flap over and he pressed, yes, he pressed the flap down and it stuck, God, it stuck perfectly, and he closed his eyes in bliss.