Squinky Hates Videogames

The International Code Council has approved a change to restroom standards recommended by the American Institute of Architects and the National Center for Transgender Equality that will update single stall facilities.

The policy changes are simple, but impactful. The first proposal approved this week requires all single stall restrooms to show that they are available to all users, not a single gender.

A second approved proposal allows for multi-stall gender-neutral facilities. These would include shared sink areas with private stalls for each toilet.

These changes will provide more restrooms for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals as well as people with disabilities and their caregivers, families with small children, and others who simply need a place for those in need.

“The American Institute of Architects is proud to have taken a proactive public stance to ensure bathroom accessibility for all,” said the AIA’s EVP and Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA, to LGBTQ Nation. “As architects, we are responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all citizens in the built environment. With pragmatic solutions, we can better serve and accommodate a variety of community needs. The code proposals are but one step in the right direction to enable access for all.”

Lee says:

Hey everybody! There’s a lot of debate over this thingy here * and I’m going to tell you why we don’t use it on this blog, since we’ve gotten a bunch asks that say trans* in them instead of just trans recently. Oh, and trans is short for transgender, if you were confused. This is all my personal opinion FYI.

What’s an asterisk?

An asterisk is this little symbol here *. It looks a bit like a little star, and people use it for a few different things. 

Sometimes you use them to censor bad words, usually seen like c*nsor or c*ns*r, or just the whole word like ******. You might see them typing in passwords and the similar too. People also use the asterisk when they’re typing and made a mistake, and want to fix it. You’ll see that sometimes when someone is typed “dof” instead of “dog,” then sends “*dog” after to clarify. 

There’s a bunch of different uses of the asterisk, but I’m focusing on the use of an asterisk after the word trans. If you want to know more about the symbol and usage in general, check out the Wikipedia page here.

Why do people say trans* and not trans?

I’m glad you asked! Most people use it because they’ve seen it used online somewhere, and figure it’s just the thing to do. They don’t really know why they use it, they just do. I used to say trans* too! I saw it somewhere and thought to myself “Hmm, now that sounds like a top-notch thing to say. Sounds evolved and inclusive and stuff. I’ll use it!” I didn’t consider if the word trans didn’t already convey what I meant to say.

Some people use it because they think it somehow makes “trans” more inclusive, and encompasses all genders. Some people think it’s there to include transgender and transsexual all in one big group. Some people think it just looks kinda pretty there. 

Whatever the reasons, it isn’t really necessary anymore. Language evolves, and we’re taking back plain old “trans” to use it as an inclusive term for everybody in the trans community. People used to use the asterisk to mean things that are now included under the word trans.

Why don’t we need the asterisk then?

Well, you see trans already covers everything! You’re transgender if you identify as a gender other than the one you were assigned at birth. That includes trans women, trans men, nonbinary people, genderqueer people, agender people, bigender people, and so on. So we don’t need to use the asterisk because it’s superfluous- transgender is already an umbrella term without the asterisk.

When you say that we need to say trans* to include nonbinary people instead of just binary trans people, then you’re saying nonbinary people aren’t trans because an * is needed after to say “and other identities”. You’re actually excluding non-binary people from the trans community instead of including them, which I hope is the opposite of what you meant to do.  

Another issue is you might be including people who aren’t actually trans, like cisgender cross dressers or drag queens. So the trans* opens the term up to include people who shouldn’t be included! 

This is a more minor point because it’s controversial, but some say the asterisk has become associated with AFAB people who think trans women take up too much of the conversation… which is Not cool.

What if I really want to use the asterisk for myself?

Okay! It’s up to you. Don’t use it as an umbrella term, but if you are really attached to it, then you can use it for yourself. Really think about why you feel more comfortable with saying trans* instead of just trans though. You don’t have to use the term trans if you don’t want to, or trans*. 

Cis people, however, shouldn’t be saying trans* unless it’s what a particular trans person prefers when used in reference to them, and only that person. 

Here’s a few links about the asterisk used for trans people. 

The Trans Asterisk and Why We Need To Stop Using It

Why shouldn’t I say trans*?

Why the asterisk on trans is a bad thing

Stop using the term “trans*” with a *

About that often misunderstood asterisk

What should we do now?

Evaluate your language! What are you saying, and why? What connotation do words have? Are you reclaiming them? Are you trying to exclude people? What’s the history? How have words evolved? What do they mean today? 

Make a conscientious decision with the words you say. Listen to people who have objections to certain language. Maybe they have a different experience than you because of their marginalized identity and it’s possible that they see how a word is problematic in a way you don’t. 

Language changes, and it’s okay to slip up. Everyone learns more, says things they shouldn’t, makes mistakes and does problematic things. Nobody is born with a full vocabulary of politically correct words and awareness of all the social inequalities in society. 

But, now that you know, change! Include non-binary people when you talk about trans issues, and don’t exclude trans women. 

Cats hang around computers for two reasons:

1.  They’re warm.  Computers generate a whole lot of heat.  Cats would probably lie directly on the surface of the sun if they could. 

2.  Mirroring!  You’re interested in the weird box thing?  Cat thinks they should be too, even if they don’t know why.  Cats are EXTREMELY social, but their social skills just… aren’t the same as a dog’s.  In colonies, close cat friends will mirror each other’s actions frequently (like lying around in the exact same position, for example).  It’s how they bond.

So, when a cat is sitting nearby you on your computer, it’s the cat equivalent of your friend sharing a meme about your favorite topic, even if they don’t really understand said topic. 

They just want to be involved in things that interest you. c:

Change Your Mind introduced a lot of mind-bending concepts. It also blew a lot of speculation out of the water by delivering to us precisely the most extreme scenarios. Off the top of the list are: showing us Obsidian, the long-speculated Temple Gem Fusion, Lapis and Peridot’s Crystal Gem regenerations, and of course, the age-old, “What would happen if we pulled out Steven’s Gem?”

I want to talk about that last one. To get everyone on the same page, the climax of the movie has the Crystal Gems face off against White Diamond, but she incapacitates them easily with her mind projection powers. More on those powers later.

With ease, White picks up Steven and plucks out his gem, expecting Pink Diamond to reform. Instead, after cycling through the silhouette of Pink Diamond and then Rose Quartz, a pink Steven is formed.

White Diamond is shocked and tries to use her powers on the pink Split Steven, as he was called by Joe Johnston, but he uses his shield against her.

Pink Steven finally makes it to a very weakened human-Steven, and they fuse in what is one of the smoothest animation sequences in the show. Steven re-forms and White throws a tantrum. Steven diffuses the situation and he and Connie laugh at White, causing her to blush and turn pink. This causes White to release her control over the other Gems and shifts the story into the resolution.

A couple of interesting things happen in this scene, and White says some cryptic things. To better understand what on earth happened when Steven’s gemstone was separated from this body, it would help to look at why White, and all the other Gems, had such a hard time wrapping their minds around Steven’s being, well, Steven, and not Pink Diamond or Rose Quartz.

For those who prefer video format, I also sent this script to @thecartoonuniverse and if all goes well I’ll be linking to that video when it’s up.

1. Homeworld’s concept of Identity is tied to the Gemstone

First things first, let’s delve into Homeworld’s concept of identity.

On Homeworld, a Gem’s “Self,” or however you want to call it: their identity, their essence, their being, whatever makes that Gem an individual, is intrinsically tied to their Gemstone. It’s the main reason why Gem address each other by their Gemstone. Calling someone by their name is tantamount to recognising them as a being separate from the rest.

It also reinforces the idea of homogeneity on Homeworld. Every class of Gems is expected to fulfil a particular purpose. As Yellow Diamond said, “From a thin flake of mica to the deepest, hardest stone, we all must make sacrifices for the sake of our perfect empire.”

Early on in the series, we already got the sense from Pearl that Gems were replaceable, but the hints we were getting that this applied even to the Diamonds were finally confirmed in the movie. Even if the Diamonds were all just porcelain figurines speaking on behalf of White, we’re led to believe it wouldn’t have been questioned by the rest of Homeworld.

In short, on Homeworld, identity is tied to purpose, and that purpose is defined by one’s Gemstone. This makes sense as each class of Gems has unique Gem abilities. Rubies can superheat themselves, Sapphires have future vision, Lapis Lazulis have hydro-kinesis, and the like. And these abilities would define what each Gem could accomplish. That’s problematic in itself, and we’ll be talking about that later.

But first, what does this all mean for Steven? In White Diamond’s eyes, no matter what form “Pink Diamond” takes, her Gemstone would remain the same: The Pink Diamond.

That’s why it was no problem for White Diamond to extricate Steven’s Gemstone from the rest of him. White was operating under the notion that everything that was needed to bring back Pink was all there in the Gemstone. She saw Steven as an organic being separate from the Gemstone, much like we would view clothing as something we could freely take on and off on a whim.

And that’s what was so damaging about White’s dismissiveness. She honestly believed Steven was just another one of Pink’s “whims.” Her viewing Steven as nothing more than an organic shell was not out of malice against Steven himself. She didn’t even acknowledge Steven was his own individual from the get-go, because she was incapable of thinking that it was even a possibility.

For millennia, she believed that this one thing was true, and she wasn’t making an effort to understand this new information in front of her as a sign that her worldview should be re-evaluated.

That leads to the next idea.

2. The Diamonds comprise Homeworld’s Idealised Version of the “Self”

Darrow went bankrupt after the 1929 Stock Market Crash, so when he saw his neighbors playing the game, he copied down the instructions, and published his own version of the game.

Then he sold it to the Parker Brothers who popularized the game. Darrow became a millionare within the year. Despite this, Hasboro currently lists him as the sole creator on their website.

Magie was amazing, and not just for her game. She liked to mock societal standards of the time through theater and even made national headlines mocking the institution of marriage. She supported herself until her mid 40s, proving that marriage was not the only option for women, before tying the knot herself.

Had a friend complain that her crutches dont spark joy but she keeps them bc she never knows if she’ll need them again and they’re expensive and sturdy and like, ok??? Marie isn’t a fucking idiot she’s not gonna be like “THROW AWAY THE CRUTCHES ANYWAY AND BUY A NEW 200 DOLLAR SET LATER”….and the reach of accusing her of classism and saying her style is impractical for ppl who are broke bc “she makes you throw out everything and if it doesnt spark joy you’ll have to re buy it”….WHAT?? Like that was a specific example but you look on fb and Twitter and people are losing their shit like OH I GOTTA THROW OUT MY LEG BRACE SINCE IT DOESNT SPARK JOY? MY PRINTER? MY AIR CONDITIONER?? abd it’s so wild to me

she’s not gonna tell you to throw away your pretentious book collection she just wants you to maybe consider donating a few? But if not then ok at least we’ve decluttered your shelves so now you can put them back up nicely. She would no sooner FORCE you to get rid of anything than she would berate you for being a collector. Did people even WATCH the ep with the baseball card collector?? she simply told him to review the collection and see if it can be trimmed down a bit, then HE HIMSELF admitted he only needed about 20% of those cards. She didn’t just instantly put boxes of baseball cards in the trash, you loonies.

People are assuming a lot of ill intent out of Marie’s actions and also assuming that she’s so obsessed with cleaning that she’s, like, too dumb to understand the concept of keeping things?

Like I didn’t wanna Go There but there’s def an unreasonable amount of hate being shot at a pint sized japanese woman ( = acceptable target) whose only crime is wanting to bring some positivity and clarity into some disorganized households 🙄

I got really worked up about this so I’m gonna end with a funny tweet

ok so i’m not the only one who sees this!

gumption

chutzpah

moxie

childlike wonder

the cut of my jib

Is this really appearing before my eyes

can it be true

a cutesy cartoon about gender and sexuality that is not cissexist and degendering toward trans people (who get to wear clothes just like cis people)??????????