Awwww!

Wow.  Just ... wow.

They are absolutely coming for contraception, on top of everything else listed above.  Legislation is in the works now to classify abortion as a homicide, beginning at the moment of fertilization.  That takes out many of the more effective forms of contraception.  We need to work together to stop this, or it will only get worse.

Hey. They’re coming for ALL OF US.

Didn’t want to append this to a well-written post about how conservatives in the US are angling to eliminate gay marriage. But.

They’re coming for gay marriage and for interracial marriage and “fornicators” (people who engage in consensual sex acts outside marriage*), and they’re going to ban contraception if they can. They’re testing steps to prevent co-housing too. Basically if you’re not a white Evangelical in a nuclear family with a desire to have hordes of children, your rights are in danger right now.

As long as we keep fretting about only our own groups, we’re not going to get very far. All of these civil rights were achieved through alliances between marginalized groups. We’re all in danger right now because we’ve allowed exclusionists – many of whom are bots or campaigns created by right-wingers – to divide us with nonsense about “ADOS” and “the q slur” and “class first” anti-woke leftism. Right-wingers have always understood that divide and conquer is the easiest way to deal with the left; we have always been a coalition of disparate groups with disparate needs that puts some of those needs aside when it’s time to fight for something. We’re not ready to fight right now. But we can start getting ready, and the easiest way to do that is to remember that you are not the only group under threat right now.

Boost other groups’ campaigns and attempts to raise awareness. Learn to exclude the people calling for exclusion, because most of them aren’t actually on your side. Read the histories of successful civil rights efforts, and pay attention to how they formed those alliances. This is work that takes years. Fixing everything that’s broken in our society cannot be done quickly or easily – but for fuck’s sake, try to get your head out of your navel and look around.  See your fellow soldiers, and put your shield alongside theirs, fast. We got incoming.

*Many states still have laws on the books that make everything from oral sex to shacking up illegal. And best believe Evangelicals want those laws enforced again.

I love octopodes, and this one is particularly stunning!

Entranced by this larger Pacific striped octopus? Us too. “Rediscovered” by our own Rich Ross & UC Berkeley’s Roy Caldwell in 2013 (which validated another scientist’s 22-year-old findings), its unusually social behaviors—including beak-to-beak mating—"fly in the face of nearly everything we know about cephalopods.“ Learn more: calacade.my/1N6WbRt. 📽️ by biologist Tim Wong

I like the video (especially the puppies!), and I can definitely see where they’re going with emulating sexy girl videos.  However, in addition to having a much wider variety of cuteness, most of these guys are waaaaay overdressed for a sexy girl video.

This post on the desexualisation of men made me think of this Charli XCX video.

Charli XCX directed this with Sarah McColgan, and asked the boys in question to do “all the sexy things that girls usually do in videos”. They include Riz Ahmed (this is the source of those gifs of him with a big pink teddy bear), Stormzy, Josh Ostrovsky (aka thefatjewish), Tom Daley, Jay Park and more - full list here. It is pink and fluffy and female gaze-y, and everybody looks happy.

It also has a much, much more inclusive idea of cuteness than sexy girl videos, and doesn’t dehumanise its subjects. Which is lovely, but underlines that when men are treated as objects of desire, they’re much more likely to keep a sense of agency.

If you like romance and human rights, check out this auction and fundraiser to support RAICES Texas and The Young Center!  Your donation to a good cause could help you win books, proofreading, nifty crafts, tea with an author, or any of the other nearly 200 great items and services.  They have a wide variety of romances, including LGBTQ+.  Learn more and access the full list of items at http://www.loveinpanels.com/romanceforraices!

the #RomanceForRAICES auction is live and we will start the bidding at HELL YES. i’m giving away fresh-baked cookies of your choice 🍪 and there is a LOT of amazing stuff to bid on for this crucial cause! info’s in the graphic—go help someone! #RAICES #reunitefamilies #romancehelps #roanparrish https://ift.tt/2PVTPAl

It would be hysterical if, after the Republicans pitched massive fits over attempts to reduce people's student loan debt, they managed to completely wipe out millions of dollars in loans by dissolving the loaning organization. Given the current administration's cruelty in dismantling every part of the government that is designed to help people, I hope we can find more unexpected benefits like this.

hey it's probably a really good idea to download a copy of your Master Promissory Note since most of them stipulate that your loans are *specifically owed to the Department of Education* and if you intend to dispute the debt in the wake of the DoE dissolving that will be really good to have

I’m a day late for the luck, but these are adorable rabbits.

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

Reblog this on the first of the month for good luck all month long!

Thank you to everyone who voted!  Even if the race wasn’t as close in your area, your vote made a difference.

Here is a neat thing to think of forever: look at “maximum room occupancy” signs — they are everywhere in offices and hotels and restaurants and shops.

If you see one at or around 63, take a good, long look at how physically small the room is!

May this haunt you forever should you think “my vote doesn’t matter. Even though I can vote, I won’t.”

Via