steph / 34 / they

Kiki Smith（American, b.1954）

Lace bugs. 500 designs for Mexican drawn-work. 1893.

Martin Wong, Untitled (Green Storefront), 1985. Courtesy: Martin Wong Foundation and P·P·O·W, New York.

Smooth, wiggly algae going with the flow. If I look at them under a microscope, I'm sure they'll be even flowier and wigglier, right?

Fossil radiolaria. A popular handbook to the microscope. 1895.

23 April 2026, a transphobic murder that so far has no media coverage. This post's text all comes from the above link:

Lucas "Luca" Ameh Avery Knapp was a cherished friend, beloved family member, and devoted brother of trans experience in our LGBQTIA+ community- but he was many other things, too. He was a chef, a poet, an adventurer, a musician, a farmer, a healer, a student of martial arts, a dancer, an artist, a dreamer, a protector, and an ally to anyone who asked and a fierce advocate for those who wouldn't.

He was all these things and more, and on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 we are heartbroken to share the devastating news that he would also become a victim. Luca was tragically killed in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. To anyone who knew him, Luca was a vibrant, joyful person who touched everyone around him with his deep well of kindness, infectious appreciation for this life and all its Earthly inhabitants, and an unwavering generousity of spirit. He was the least deserving of such a cold and untimely end.

And so, we are raising funds to cover funeral and burial costs, support Luca's family during this unimaginable time, and ensure Luca receives the dignified farewell he deserves. Any additional funds will go toward private investigative work and legal advocacy to help bring those responsible for Luca's murder to justice.

No one should lose their life simply for being who they are, and especially not someone who committed his life in service of everyone around him. In Luca's honor, we ask for your support — whether financial or by sharing this page. Every contribution brings us one step closer to giving Lucas's loved ones some relief during the hardest days of their lives.

Thank you for standing with us.

"You can sit still and stop punishing yourself

Maybe in two or ten or fifty years

Gentleness will become the default

Movement of your limbs and

It's not our fault

We were taught to deny our own natures

Not our fault

Not your fault

Listen

There are fifty thousand ways the body can say No

And fifty million ways a sick society

Can force you to move anyways but

Listen

If you can manage to escape

There is rest and there is time

Earth is still here

Waiting for you to remember

You're a piece of nature

Like any ancient swamp

Petrified into stone

Listen

I'm not saying it's easy no

But it is possible and it is worth it and

We need you"

Hiroshi Yoshida, Rapids, 1928

Color Woodcut

Salman Toor, The Dream, 2024