What a terrible burden for children to bear—to know that they are the reason their mother stopped living. What a terrible burden for our daughters to bear—to know that if they choose to become mothers, this will be their fate, too. Because if we show them that being a martyr is the highest form of love, that is what they will become. They will feel obligated to love as well as their mothers loved, after all. They will believe they have permission to live only as fully as their mothers allowed themselves to live.

If we keep passing down the legacy of martyrdom to our daughters, with whom does it end? Which woman ever gets to live? And when does the death sentence begin? At the wedding altar? In the delivery room? Whose delivery room—our children’s or our own? When we call martyrdom love we teach our children that when love begins, life ends. This is why Jung suggested: There is no greater burden on a child than the unlived life of a parent.

yeah. corporations just want our money.

but here’s the thing: once upon a time, they didn’t. they didn’t sell to us. they were just as greedy but we were so beneath them they didn’t want money if it came from us. they asked us to leave the store. they refused to bake cakes for us. they refused to rent or sell us housing. a lot of queer kids were made homeless or DIED because they thought it’d always be that way, that the world would always hate us.

corporations being sluts for our money, and openly showing the homophobes that they prefer our money over theirs, is a GOOD THING and a sign of progress and I will die on that hill.

absolutely support small businesses and indies. but Jesus don’t flat out refuse to give money to a corporation for celebrating pride, because that’s what the homophobes literally want people to do and in this dystopic society you (and I’m dying inside as I say this) NEED corporations on your side because of the sheer scale of their influence. WE NEED THAT INFLUENCE.

Some of it is even more recent. The epidemic of queer children suicides hitting the news? That was last decade. It’d been going on for much longer than that but at one point our fight had progressed enough the media started reporting on it and the suicides even went up for a while, and I was on tumblr when that happened, that’s how recent it is.

So how can I sneer at corporations showing support widely when kids dying used to be normal?

I can’t even fully attribute the motivations corporations rainbowing up their logo as completely for money. There’s probably queer people who put their jobs on the line and fought for the company to DO that.

So whenever I see someone going “UGH the corporations are pandering to us again”?

that’s

that’s a good thing!!!! how is that NOT a good thing???

If a company is rainbowing their logo up but doing homophobic shit behind closed doors, the answer is not for them to stop rainbowing up their logo, but to stop doing the homophobic shit.

[1] The first image shows a needle inserted into a vial. The title is, “Pfizer vs. Moderna Covid-19 vaccine / What’s the difference?” and is credited to Amanda Howell, MPH. The rest of the images read as follows:

[2] Both are mRNA Vaccines Covid-19 mRNA vaccines provide instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein.” The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes Covid-19. Covid-19 mRNA vaccines are given in the upper arm muscle. Once the instructions (mRNA) are inside the muscle cells, the cells follow the instructions and make the protein piece. After the protein piece is made, the cell breaks down the instructions and gets rid of them. Next, the cell displays the protein piece on its surface (showing off its work). Our immune system recognizes that the protein doesn’t belong there and begins making antibodies. After developing antibodies, our immune system has learned how to protect against future infection. The benefit of mRNA vaccines, like all vaccines, is those vaccinated gain this protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with Covid-19. Facts about Covid-19 mRNA Vaccines: They cannot give someone Covid-19. mRNA vaccines do not use the live virus that causes Covid-19. They do not affect or interact with our DNA in any way. mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA (genetic material) is kept. The cell breaks down and gets rid of the mRNA soon after it is finished using the instructions. [There is a Bitmoji of a light-skinned person pointing up at the sky. A DNA strand, a water molecule, an atom, a magnet, and an Erlenmeyer flask are floating around them. Above them is green text that says, “Science!”]

[3] MRNA Technology mRNA technology was discovered over 30 years ago and has been studied for vaccine purposes for nearly two decades. In fact, scientists have been working on a coronavirus vaccine since the SARS and MERS outbreaks but funding dried up. No funding, no scientific advancements. (Look at what we can accomplish when we fund science!) Early-stage clinical trials using mRNA vaccines have been carried out for influenza, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Recent technological advancements in RNA biology and chemistry, as well as delivery systems, have mitigated these challenges and improved their stability, safety, and effectiveness. [The same Bitmoji from before is shown at a chemistry table with several bubbling vials and flasks.]

[4] Pfizer vs. Moderna Vaccine

Pfizer is 95% effective, Moderna is 94.5% effective

Pfizer is 30 [microgramme] mcg doses given 21 days apart, Moderna is 100 mcg dones given 28 days apart

Pfizer has 5 dose vials, Moderna has 10 dose vials

Pfizer must be diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride, Moderna requires no dilution

Pfizer must be stored at -112 to -76 degrees Fahrenheit [-80 to -60 degrees Celsius], Moderna at -13 to -5 Fahrenheit [-25 to about -20.56 Celsuis]

Pfizer’s trial had 36,621 participants, Moderna’s had 30,350

Pfizer is approved for use in people over the age of 16, Moderna for people over the age of 18.

Pfizer published safety and final efficacy results from Phas 3 on December 10th, 2020. Moderna announced primary efficacy analysis in Phas 3 on November 30, 2020

[5] Ingredients in the Vaccine There has been complete transparency around ingredients. You can find the fact sheet posted online and in the reference section of this post.

MRNA

Lipids (including ((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and cholesterol)

Potassium chloride

Monobasic potassium phosphate

Sodium chloride

Dibasic sodium phosphate dehydrate

Sucrose

Good news for those that may have concerns or are vaccine-hesitant. There is no aluminum, mercury, or food allergens.

[6] Side Effects/Immune Response

Most commonly reported side effects:

Injection side reaction

Fatigue

Headache

Muscle pain

Chills

Joint paint

Fever

This is called an “immune response.” This is response without infection and it’s a good thing! These short term, easily managed side effects are significantly less risky than taking your chances with Covid-19 infection. [The Bitmoji from before is shown surrounded by germs. They have their arms up and look alarmed, and text under them says, “i think i’m getting sick”.]

[7] 99% Survival Rate A commonly asked question is “why should I get vaccinated if the Covid-19 infection has a 99% survival rate?” Surviving and thriving are incredibly different. Covid-19 symptoms can persist for months. The virus can damage the lungs, heart, and brain, which increases the risk of long-term health problems. Even young, otherwise healthy people can feel unwell for weeks to months after infection. How organs may be affected by Covid-19:

Heart: Imaging tests taken months after recovery from Covid-19 have shown lasting damage to the heart muscle, even in people who experienced only mild Covid-19 symptoms. This may increase the risk of heart failure or other heart complications in the future.

Lungs: The type of pneumonia often associated with Covid-19 can cause long-standing damage to the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. The resulting scar tissue can lead to long-term breathing problems.

Brain: Even in young people, Covid-19 can cause strokes, seizures and Guillain-Barre syndrome—a condition that causes temporary paralysis. Covid-19 may also increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Short-term side effects and 95% vaccine efficacy > long term health damages from Covid-19 infection

[8] Please get vaccinated The vaccine benefits outweigh the known risks of contracting Covid-19. When the vaccine reaches your group, please get the vaccine. The sooner we vaccinate and establish herd immunity the sooner we can remove our masks and hug our friends again. [The Bitmoji is shown at a water cooler. They are smiling and holding a paper cone.] - Your friendly public health professional

Hi, this is how I wrap presents for people with lower fine motor control; it could be older people, younger people, people with disabilities.

You can use ribbon you already have for wrapping present, and I measured around the item I am about to wrap leaving a little bit of room for the handle.

I taped the beginning end of the ribbon to the box and then loop back the extra ribbon to make a handle, and it should look something like this

You can wrap pretty much like you normally do as long as you make sure that the handle is exposed .

You could even tie something onto the handle for extra support

All done!

End Transcript]

Sometimes classics can be improved upon.

The Tree Who Set Healthy Boundaries : an alternate ending for Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree by Topher Payne 💯🌳❤️

from an LA lawyer

the state laws

article from women’s law abt finding lawyers trained in this area

big long list of resources

free crisis line for victims of non-consensual porn

even more info

“I don’t know who needs to hear this today but there is no such thing as a “leaked nude”! (obvs don’t mean colloquially) 1. if your nude is behind a paywall like onlyfans, it is: copyright infringement and onlyfans will fight for you. 2. if your nude was taken or sent in private, that is: revenge porn, and as of 2019, is illegal in most states and countries where social media is prominent.

in 2019 one of my girls came to me and said that her ex was threatening to leak her nudes. she played me his voicemail and I fucking laughed. homeboy left his full name and threat on a recorded message.

usually I’m not very supportive of the police if that’s not obvious (I made this decision based on the people involved and didn’t put anyone in danger) but in this situation I told her to call. she filed completely over the phone, never met with an officer and he never saw her face (she also said that he didn’t make any remarks or judgements on her which was important to her). that officer called the dumbass and told him that he was facing a felony in his state. basically, the dumbass wet himself and never contacted her again.

Another great thing that has helped me get back on my medicine I have to take because of my brain hemorrhage I had a few years ago is the sliding scale program. Some/most clinics need just a little bit of info like paystubs and your most current tax return and they can determine if you can pay a set amount when you go to see the doctor. I do this and every visit is just a set amount of $25. (Some therapists also do the sliding scale program. I’m planning to visit one this year) 

Finally, look in to the 340B drug program (American followers). It can reduce the amount of your prescriptions if you don’t have insurance and are low income. I went from spending over $200 to $15 for my medicine.