I don't want to be a fucking tragedy

It’s easy to say that cyber bullying doesn’t matter in the real world or whatever but targeted online bullying campaigns have the power to wreck entire communities and support networks.

It’s difficult to just turn off your computer when all the people who relate to this aspect of your life are in there.

I’ve definitely met other asexual and arospec people irl but it’s quite rare. And real life queer spaces are in fact often bars or kink spaces. And like bully for you if you like kink or alcohol or romance but when your entire identity is based around not feeling the feelings often associated with romance and/or sex that’s not always super fun.

And people got relentlessly mocked for bringing up this issue. Shut down. Called childish. Like okay. Fuck us for wanting a sober non sexual spot to meet other queers, right? So childish for wanting options.

I’ve been involved in the online asexual community and doing education about asexuality and aromanticism in both irl and online queer spaces for almost fourteen years now and that short period of time around 2016-2018 took a wrecking ball to my people that I feel like we’ve still barely recovered from and I’m still angry about it.

ghosts

Yes, it is finally summer, and yes, it's supposed to be hot too here. Except our hot temperatures are still way below that. The average temperatures at that period between 1991-2020 are 15-20°C below what we're experiencing. It's 41°C in Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, when it should be about 25, 42°C in Rennes when it should be 22.

On Tuesday 23rd, France was hotter than 99% of the planet. Only some specific zones in the Sahara, Arabian, and American deserts were hotter.

In the night between Monday and Tuesday, temperatures only came back down to between 21 and 28 degrees. Those are supposed to be the temps at day.

In Belgium, our temperatures don't go as crazy, though we are still going to reach 38° today.

We don't normally need A/C. Several people live or have a bedroom right underneath a rooftop, and while it's always a bit hot in summer, it's normally not supposed to be unbearable. A lot of places are simple too warm inside. At my place, while downstairs is always a bit fresh (a few times leading me to put on a light jacket inside while outside it was quite warm), today, it's warm.

We are so unprepared for these kinds of temperatures that since the start of this week, schools are closing in the afternoon so kids don't overheat in their classroom. This include secondary school, when usually teenagers are expected to be at school even during conditions where children are not. Preschools get closed all day because it's too hot.

And, since yesterday, they've decided to stop the bus service from 13h to 17h, when temperatures hit their highest, because most bus don't have AC and the few that those are the most recent ones. Today, and likely tomorrow, will do the same.

these temperatures, at 8:30 am? are NOT normal for us

Our houses are made to keep warm cuz of our winters, and, in the 25 years ive been alive, its only been 30+°C in summers in the past 5 or so years. I dont remember it being THIS hot here. And then i am lucky that i work in a new building that is fully climate controlled.

Even with people in countries where its usually hotter (i.e. Spain/Italy), people DIE because of heatwaves like this. Not only people, animals too.

I keep in touch with my grandmothers more often during the and bring them more icecream if they've run out because of how hot it is, just so i can make sure they dont die of the heat.

I keep my animals inside, or get them inside earlier (i have a horse as well), and make sure they have cooler places to go so they dont fucking die of this heat. Everyone is miserable. Yesterday i got into my car after work and it was 48°C inside it, it only went down to 38° while driving. That is INSANE temps for us.

We are lucky our supermarkets, busses, trains, and most shops have AC

the parade

I’m saying it because cis people will never care for us on our own.

Me: I mean depends on your tolerance for this type of racism, but like I said it's my favourite show, it def has some great parts if you're up for it.

Them: Oh so it's not racist.

Me: It absolutely is.

Them: So you're saying racism is ok??