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Folks, if you don't know who Emi Koyama was, you should. Her website (eminism.org, which is a delightful pun) has a ton of her work entirely for free.

You can read the Transfeminist Manifesto in particular here. Emi considered it a historical document and she wrote a very good self-critique in 2008 (included in the document) on the subject of the Manifesto, white feminism, and the lack of inclusion of trans and genderqueer people who aren't trans women. I highly encourage everyone who wants to involve themselves in transfeminism to read her work, not because it is perfect, but because I do think Emi Koyama's Manifesto represents the best intentions for transfeminism: the desire to challenge cissexism, to take activism seriously and compassionately, and a commitment to being open and honest about where we fall short and how we can do better.

I really appreciate this quote from her, which I hadn't seen before, on the subject of feminism needing to "fit in" trans people:

Cis feminists do not own feminism. We don't need to "fit trans people into feminist theory"; we simply need to challenge cissexism in feminist movements and theories. Trans people do not need to be explained by feminist theory; we need to start from the fact that trans people exist and matter.

And it would be a crime to not mention how hard she fought specifically for women of color, to challenge racism and imperialism (white/western and non-white/non-western) in feminist spaces and in general, as well as her intersex activism, and far more. She had such a drive to contribute to, engage with, and push for more and better feminist discourse.

as of July 30 they've only raised 53% of their goal, & they could also use clothing donations & other supplies if you are local:

Emi, co-founder and co-director at Aileen’s, beloved friend and sex trade, trans, intersex, queer, disability, gender-based violence, and feminist advocate extraordinaire, passed away on Wednesday, June 10th 2026. In her final days, Emi was surrounded by her incredible and loving community and chosen family. Help us continue her life's work and keep her organization open and serving our community. Emi was the driving force that holds together Aileen’s–a peer-led community organizing and hospitality space by and for women living and working along Pac Highway. And, if you knew Emi, you would not be surprised to hear that her work at Aileen’s is a massive undertaking, because her dedication to serving the community meant she did more than humanly possible in a 24 hour day. It is crucial that Aileen’s continues to serve women who are experiencing homelessness, criminalization, and violence. Since 2019, Aileen’s has provided hospitality space, non-judgemental and accepting community, peer support, resources, harm reduction advocacy, and outreach services. Led by 6 part-time peer staff, Aileen’s aids community dealing with issues of poverty, criminal legal, CPS, substance use, domestic violence, police harassment and brutality, sexual assault and harassment, racism, transphobia, and more. Countless people rely on Aileen’s for necessities like food, supplies, showers, clothing, and a safe place to rest. Emi has been essential in Aileen’s ability to serve the community, and Aileen's was Emi's most cherished project. Without her or other support, the organization is at risk of shutting down. Weeks ago, when asked what all Emi does for Aileen’s, co-director Leslie said “Oh, she does everything.” It is hard to describe “everything”, but Emi handled: all grant writing and reporting, administration responsibilities, fiscal sponsor management, coalition building, court and political advocacy, resource accrual for survivor support, safety planning, and training/education for staff and community. Aileen's, and all of Emi's past work, is about liberation and survival under a system that has left so many without. With your donation, Aileen’s can increase pay and hire more peer staff, transfer daily operations, buy essential supplies like food, clothes, harm reduction items, and take care of basic costs not covered by grants. [...] *While $$$ donations are essential, Aileen’s is in serious need of donated clothing and some other supplies. Please contact donate@ (aileens.org) to coordinate making clothing donations and see our wishlist at our website.

This confirms that there is a civilization older than the Sumerians that we have yet to find

Some people get existential dread from this

Source (non Aboriginal)

And a quote I picked out from a longer interview with an Aboriginal local elder about the area where he touched on the history

To the Person Who Asked If I Was OK

I do not have to reinvent the wheel every time I write fanfiction

I do not have to make every chapter's word count above 1,000 in order for it to be good

It is okay if some things don't make sense

I can write whatever I want

I am writing this shit for free

If people don't like my stuff, they can block me. If they're being mean about it, I can block them.

The most important part of writing fanfiction is having fun

Writing fanfiction is supposed to be fun

I do not have to appeal to people

This shit is fun

Aro and ace activism is healthcare reform, so that no one needs to rely on a spouse for health insurance, so that healthcare is available to everybody regardless of income, so that no one’s lived experiences or basic dignity are dismissed or overridden by doctors

Aro and ace activism is well-funded and expansive public transit, so that you don’t need to have someone on hand to drive you places if you are incapacitated, so that you don’t have to pay for an ambulance if you need to get to the hospital quickly

Aro and ace activism is disability and elder care services, so that no one needs a spouse to care for them, so that no one needs children to care for them, so that marriage is not a bind for disabled people, so that people on disability who want to and can live alone can

Aro and ace activism is community-building, it’s public events, it’s free social activities, it’s mutual aid, it’s activities that bring community members together without socializing relying on just a romantic partner

Aro and ace activism is developing a culture of believing when people tell you who they are and what they want rather than assuming you know them better than they know themselves

By framing these people as sinister mustache twirlers exclusively, who lean into bigotry for "no good reason" you both fail to understand what drives more people to their cause, and eventually you WILL find a type of suffering that gives you leniency in allowing their bigotry.

The stupid hypothetical about whether the terminally ill child can use their make-a-wish to say the N word is such a good example of this because a frustrating amount of people either entertain it OR start to water down their feelings about the word, where when stacked against death the go "does it really matter?" What this demonstrates is that for many people, there IS a threshold of a person's suffering that makes you find them "allowed" to also cause suffering.

It's how zionism gets discussed constantly. It's how trans infighting gets discussed. It's how people sit dumbfounded that immigrants vote for Trump, that Black men will join nazi orgs, that self-described feminists will invite deeply misogynistic men into their anti-trans circles.

By thinking that none of the bigoted groups you find easy to condemn have "reasons" for acting as they do, it becomes so easy to eventually see someone as reasonable when their logic hits home for you. But the two essential truths are that 1. behind most bigoted actions is legitimate pain, and 2. that's never ever enough.

The incel was bullied to isolation. The misogynist was abused by his mom. The transphobe has experienced sexual assault. The exorsexist had a vile ex-partner. The racist survived extreme poverty.

It all MATTERS to understanding what radicalized someone, but it doesn't MATTER in a way that excuses their actions.

"We have to ignore abuse allegations because the abuser was abused before" "So and so was hurt by someone in X group which means they can now say slurs against that group" "Antisemitism exists which means Islamophobia is allowed" "I can't be a perpetrator of x because I have been a victim of it"

If you sort bigotry into "justified" vs "unjustified" you will always find something you think is excusable. It is ALL unjustified because NOTHING makes it a valid form of action. The end!

We can hold sympathy, we can understand what it now takes to help someone unlearn, we can make room for amends and forgiveness and whatever else but even at the most gracious and patient intersection the actions are not "justified."

“It’s easier for trans men to pass/be stealth!!”

Actually it’s easier for people with very specific bodies (white, thin, average height) with large incomes and supportive families to transition medically in a way which is more likely to conform to strict ideas of ‘man’ and ‘woman’

I swear every time I see someone try to make the argument for one of us having it better they exclusively either cite celebrities (again, see white, rich, thin) or assume that the people they know irl are representative of every trans person.

It also begs the point that YOU DO NOT KNOW IF SOMEONE IS STEALTH UNLESS THEY TELL YOU. No one actually knows how many trans people successfully live as stealth.

Most of the passing trans people I know personally are women, but most of the trans people I know to be stealth are men. I also know far more trans women than I do trans men. Not to ignore the fact that these arguments completely erase non binary people who are pressured to just pick a binary gender to ‘pass’ as because it is functionally impossible to be a ‘stealth’ non binary person.

~

Image description: two screenshots of the Wikipedia page for King Arthur's Cave. The first one is a photo of the entrance to the cave, the second one is from the 'Background' section. Transcription:

Background It is uncertain exactly how the cave got its name. A skeleton of a "giant human" was supposedly discovered in the cave around 1700, but was lost when a local surgeon named Mr. Pye took the skeleton to sea on a voyage to Jamaica and his ship sank. The cave is

I also distinctly remember the 4chan troll accounts pretending to be queer people, mostly trans people, with the explicit intent of causing discourse and infighting and recruiting people into hating other queer people.