Save Me, Saint Joan of Arc

It positions religion as the human default, from which you are excused only if you’re sufficiently damaged. Like “I guess it’s okay if you’re shipping to cope” – if it’s just a consolation prize for being broken and pitiable, it’s not really okay at all. It’s okay if you can’t be religious because of trauma, but always remember that this is a personal flaw, a result of your damage, and that *healthy people* are religious.

Sokoto state, a majority Muslim state in north-west Nigeria was bombed on Christmas day. It is still unclear how many bombs were dropped and where. Confirmed is a bomb dropped on a Mosque in Jabo, killing 5 people.

Trump has claimed that this is in retaliation of the "Christian genocide" happening in Nigeria, committed by "radical Islamists" of the ISIL (ISIS), and the specific choosing of Christmas day was to reify that this is a religious based retaliation.

This Christmas, I am in Nigeria. My family is majority Christian. We are without fear of being persecuted on the basis of our religion. So, what is going on?

There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria. Nigeria is a complex country that faces a lot of violence, exploitation and subsequent neglect from our government. But it is not Christians being targeted in our country. This insidious piece of misinformation has been dutifully organised by US officials for months and gained steam on platforms like X and Truth Social.

I do not believe though, that this action was done to fight Islamic terrorists or protect Nigerian Christians. The reason being:

Sokoto state is not a state with ISIL activity.

This is another display of US throwing its weight around, conveniently, onto the most oil-rich country in Africa.

Do not believe everything the US tells you about its foreign affairs. The US will gladly spill blood on the flimsiest of justifications just to continue gorging its empire.

This is an illustration I have been working on for a while. It has existed as a concept for years and years, especially after coming across the photos of Marsha with the Snoopy plush. However, there was this story that stood out to me:

Everyone has seen the iconic picture of Marsha with the flower crown. Did you know not only was this her signature look but that those flowers were natural and fresh? Marsha spent a lot of her time in the Flower District in NYC. She would sleep under the tables set out by the vendors, and once the day was finished, they would give her the flowers that couldn't be sold. When one of the vendors was asked why they did all of this for a Black transgender woman, a homeless sex worker, he said, "Because she's holy."

Marsha identified as a Christian her whole life. She says, "I got married to Jesus Christ when I was sixteen years old, still in high school." God provided Marsha solace, strength and guidance. It was integral to her activism. She loved the Virgin Mary and the saints with a fierce devotion. When her fellow queens couldn't find her, they'd go to churches first. Catholic, Orthodox, Episcopalian, Baptist, or synagogues (she said she was "covering all angles"), she could be seen there, lighting candles, prostrating before statues of the Virgin Mary, wearing velvet and throwing glitter.

"I practice the Catholic religion because the Catholic religion is part of the Santería of the saints, which says that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ."