Wanderer Ramblin's ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

"The hat is customizable," he said, struggling with the velcro patch on the front. "If I need it, I have an ICE one too. I pick based off the business i walk into."

"Customizable is an important hat descriptor," I said. "what can I get you?"

"You wouldn't believe how offended people get these days," he said. "And I'm supposed to do something about it if you're offended? You chose to be offended!"

"We all have hundreds of thousands of decisions everyday," I said. I thickened my accent. "That's what my stepdad always said. But I can make one easier - we have a delicious Ethiopian roast available."

"Like if I told you you have a bull ring," he said, "because bulls have rings in their noses. Is that offensive?"

I laughed. "I've heard that before."

"It's a joke, but people get offended. Maybe you're offended."

I looked at him. I smiled. "You aren't trying to offend me though, right?"

Of course he was. I was being friendly and the friendlier I was, the faster he switched topics. He was saying anything inflammatory he could think of to see if I'd take the bait. After about 20 minutes of my redirecting and deescalating, he settled into a more normal interaction. He took up too much of my time showing me a product I'd feigned mild interest in to get him to stop talking about getting accused of inappropriate behavior at work. When we finally disengaged, he spent 10 minutes trying to catch my eye again. When he failed, he left.

There's this new breed of customer who insists on trying to incite political conversation through their clothing and, when that doesnt work, their snide little comments. If I owned my own business, maybe I would have given the guy the fight he wanted. But I work for a corporation and I love paying my bills so I deescalated.

Screenshot via Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net on bluesky

Tldr Amnesty International, global human rights organisation, published a report called 'A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK'. In it is detailed, amongst others, a whole bunch of transphobic groups and organisations, including Beira's Place, JK Rowling's trans exclusionary sexual violence support service. JK Rowling threw a shit fit and got Amnesty to take the report down by threatening libel. This was obviously not enough, because you can't appease a fascist, so now she's going to bankroll a bunch of lawsuits anyway through the JK Rowling Women's Fund.*

You can read an archived version of the report here, please save it and share it.

A brief altercation recorded during a Chicago-area high school’s Feb. 12 walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gone viral online, reflecting the anger over ICE operations that have prompted school walkouts across Lake County and around the country. [...] According to the letter, about 100 students participated, and the protest has garnered attention from “some with no apparent affiliation to the district.” The letter said unauthorized use of recording devices, physical altercations, bullying and harassment are outlined in board policies, as well as disciplinary measures. The video of the incident went viral online, popping up across different platforms and drawing varying reactions from different political spheres, garnering praise and criticism alike. The video was also highlighted by various right-wing organizations, including the local branch of Moms for Liberty, which had made other posts critical of the planned walkout, calling it a “student-organized disruption.” Lake County has seen numerous walkouts in the last month, organized by students, in protest of federal immigration enforcement efforts that have rattled many in the region. For example, in Waukegan, which has a significant Hispanic population, about 500 students from Waukegan High participated in a walkout. According to the Lake and McHenry County Scanner, the student who threw the punch was suspended for two days.