#spider's posts

... if you don’t want the stuff you buy on Etsy to become more expensive, start making the kind of noise about Etsy’s fee changes that y’all made about Patreon’s fee changes. 

Sooner or later, those costs become customer costs, one way or the other. :/ 

Make some noise, because this is ridiculous. Etsy isn’t giving us anything new: for the new features not only will we be getting hit with these raised transaction fees but we’ll also be required to pay a subscription fee. So what we’re getting for these increased fees?

Nothing. Just more fees. No more features, just more costs. 

[Image:  A series of pin mockups on a black background, with a shadowed ‘NK’ behind them. Each pin depicts a raised left fist. The fingers, thumb and wrist of each pin are separated to show the colors of the Pride flag in question, with the top of the flag corresponding to the left side of the wrist and thumb, and the bottom corresponding to the pinky and right side of the wrist. The More Color More Pride pin is the only exception, with the black and brown stripes clutched in the palm section, actively protected by the rest of the fist. The pins depicted, from left to right, are: Intersex, Asexual, Bisexual, More Color, More Pride, Aromantic, Pansexual. Bottom row: Genderqueer, Genderfluid, Rainbow, Trans, NonBinary, and Lesbian. In the middle, white lettering reads: NerdyKeppie Forever In Solidarity Enamel Pins.]

Our first Kickstarter is LIVE! Go grab your pins! 

The Early Bird options, which include an exclusive pronoun patch that will never be offered anywhere else, are only available for the first twenty-four hours. 

I am so, so excited to finally get to launch this Kickstarter; we’ve been working on this project for literally months. Making the art, looking for the right pin maker, getting all of our ducks in a row, and it’s finally, finally here.

All of my love forever to @dadhoc, who made the project’s video in absolute record time. 

Got questions? Please see our FAQ! 

They’re all up on nerdykeppie.etsy.com -- and I’ve got a flash sale going -- 15% off until 5/29 on the new stuff. 

Go get it while it’s good. <3 

It is not okay to stalk someone, no matter what.

It is not okay to misgender someone, no matter what.

It is not okay to make transphobic jokes about someone because you don’t like them.

... this probably isn’t going to be the post you expect.

If you’re writing an unironic post like that, get the fuck out.  I don’t know what community you’re a part of, but it isn’t mine. 

If you’re arguing over who gets to ‘celebrate Pride,’ stop. And not just because Pride was founded by a Jewish bi poly disabled sex worker who proudly labeled herself a switch and showed up to march for everybody and anybody who asked her to show up: one of the most famous quotes about her is that she would show up for anyone whose rights were downtrodden. She didn’t have a fucking list of the ‘right’ kinds of ways people were being discriminated against for her to show up and march. 

I’m not just saying stop arguing because arguing over who gets to ‘celebrate Pride’ is spitting on the intentions of the woman who made it all happen. No.

If you’re just celebrating Pride, stop.

Stop having parades; go back to having marches.

We aren’t free and the work isn’t done. 

Yes, be Proud. Be out. Be present. But understand that the visibility you have now when you wear your rainbow clothing and hold up signs is still an act of protest; radical visibility is an act of protest. Our existence is resistance. Hold that in your fucking heart: when you are visible this month, you are protesting still. Seek solidarity in the name of moving forward justice for our community and the myriad issues we still face, and take joy from that solidarity. Take joy from the fact that we’ve reached the point where we have to be mindful not to forget that Pride started as a fucking riot, but don’t forget that Pride started as a fucking riot. 

And frankly if you’re next to me throwing bricks at the cops, either literally or metaphorically, I don’t give a fuck which axis of oppression you fall along. 

Besides which, assholes, my straight family ‘celebrates Pride.’ Y’all assholes ever heard of PFLAG? You know, that organization that was founded in 1972 by a woman whose gay son was beaten by police and is responsible for Title IX covering LGBTQ+ folks, filed amicus briefs to end DADT, and is currently working on making conversion therapy illegal? Oh, gee, I guess we can’t let those people ‘celebrate Pride,’ they’re only responsible for some of the largest legal victories that protect our community. Better keep them out of our marches. 

I have had two private conversations this convention, as I have at least 2-3 every convention, with people who are part of the LGBTQIPA community but have been harassed and crowded out of the community by people who are lifting themselves up by shoving people out.

And the frustration and confusion and hurt is always evident in these conversations.

So if I have a lot less fucking patience than usual with exclusionary ‘BUT X AND Y AND Z AREN’T REALLY’, it’s because I am literally, right now, this weekend, having conversations where I help people unwind all the hurt that’s been put on them by exclusionary bullshit. People who need the community. People who belong in the community. And it’s bi people and trans people and ace people and nonbinary people and and and and and.

Launching July 15th, 2018, our very first Kickstarter!

A few sneak peeks today, with more to come, and a bit of a FAQ. The art above is not an official mock-up yet, I’m waiting on that to come back from the pin manufacturer. We’ll have gold plating & rubber backs on our pins. 

1) Why start with the raised fist? We’re Socialists, and pro-labor, and the raised fist started as a symbol of pro-union movement in 1917, carried through to 1948 when the stylized version used by Socialist parties around the world came to be, and has been used consistently through to the present day. When we designed this symbol (which has been available on our patches and shirts for a while), we took a few things in mind - a) we were very conscious to style ours after the Socialist fist and b) we used a left fist both because we are leftists and to avoid cross-confusion with the BP salute (right fist) and 1960s/70s feminist icon and c) left-handedness was long associated as a ‘sign of secret gayness’ and so it packed even more symbolism in for us.

2) Are you going to offer the More Color More Pride version? Yes! We found a pin maker that would allow us to do it without having to set it up as a whole separate pin. As inclusion is one of our core values and representation is one of our core values, the More Color, More Pride pin will be one of the first four pins available through the Kickstarter.

3) What about other flags like trans, bi, pan, nb, etc.? Rainbow, Trans, Bi, & More Color, More Pride will be the first four pins available. We currently have art out for mockups for Asexual, Aromantic, Bisexual, Genderfluid, Genderqueer, Intersex, Lesbian, Non-Binary, Pansexual & Transgender, and the rest will be unlockable via stretch goals. Sneak peeks of art will be rolling out over the next week, and the sooner we hit our stretch goals, the sooner those pins will be available!

4) Who the heck are you, anyway? Why you? We are a family of queer disabled artists (2 adults, one teenager) who run NerdyKeppie and make nerdy, punk, and Pride Judaica, shirts and accessories. This is our full-time gig and keeps a roof over our head and a charge in Mandy’s power wheelchair. And if not now, when, if not me, who?

5) How much? Early-bird pricing will be $10, with post-early-bird starting at $12. We’ll be offering quantity discounts as well as the option to sponsor a pin for someone who can’t afford one. (That was a fantastic idea that @optimysticals did with their last Kickstarter, and we’re all about sharing the love.)

6) Are you using a fair-trade pin maker? Our pin manufacturer is a small business in the US. We are not importing our pins from overseas. That’s super important to us. See also: we’re fucking socialists. Sure, we could probably get them cheaper, but it’s always important for us to live our values. 

7) So... July 15th?