For All the WLW

The use of the word "naff" is very British so this person might not have actually been in the US in the 2010s and as I was not in the UK during that time period there very well may have been a lot of "performative" queer expression there, they'd had gay marriage for several years by then. Absolutely not the case in the US. Absolutely not the case in Texas.

Having been around for the AIDS crisis, the murder of Matthew Shepard, and everything since, I have been *screaming* that rainbow capitalism is better than the alternative. Now we have lost Budweiser, who was with us since the 90s, we have lost Target. We are losing public spaces and public artworks.

This is secret code used by 19th-century diarist Anne Lister to record her lesbian relationships! And underneath, and sample of her diaries. Anne wrote 6600 pages, or almost 4 million words of these diaries, giving us a treasure trove of information about her life, and one of the only first-hand accounts we have of female same-sex relationships in the 19th century.

Now you too can communicate with your friends in secret lesbian code!

it used to be pretty common for there to be cats on boats. they'd take care of any rodents who would chew on ropes or wires and spread diseases. sailors were also superstitious and believed that having a cat aboard would bring good luck! this belief passed on to their wives, who kept cats - especially black ones who were believed to be extra lucky - at home in order to keep their husbands safe when at sea.

another popular superstition? that if a cat came aboard it was a sign of luck, but if it only boarded halfway and then left, it was a sign of bad luck.

most ship's cats are only found in modern times on private vessels, but they have roots going back to early history. one such example is the Vikings, who took cats with them on expeditions.

A pair at 剑门关 (Jianmenguan; "Sword Gate Pass") in Sichuan province, demonstrating wushu skills with changdaos (长刀; "long single-edged sword").