Amalgamated Tusk @amalgamatedtusk-blog - Tumblr Blog

#Blackout Trans Pioneer: Marsha P. Johnson

An influential transgender gay rights activist (1944 – 1992). One of my eternal sheroes. She played a major role in the “Gay” Rights Movement early on and was highly involved with the Stonewall Riots. For decades her work has been talked over and erased, but she lives on in many a young queer heart! <3

Read more about her here.

shmuelaa

eponis

Everything Is Awful and I’m Not Okay: questions to ask before giving up

Are you hydrated? If not, have a glass of water.

Have you eaten in the past three hours? If not, get some food — something with protein, not just simple carbs. Perhaps some nuts or hummus?

Have you showered in the past day? If not, take a shower right now.

If daytime: are you dressed? If not, put on clean clothes that aren’t pajamas. Give yourself permission to wear something special, whether it’s a funny t-shirt or a pretty dress.

If nighttime: are you sleepy and fatigued but resisting going to sleep? Put on pajamas, make yourself cozy in bed with a teddy bear and the sound of falling rain, and close your eyes for fifteen minutes — no electronic screens allowed. If you’re still awake after that, you can get up again; no pressure.

Have you stretched your legs in the past day? If not, do so right now. If you don’t have the spoons for a run or trip to the gym, just walk around the block, then keep walking as long as you please. If the weather’s crap, drive to a big box store (e.g. Target) and go on a brisk walk through the aisles you normally skip.

Have you said something nice to someone in the past day? Do so, whether online or in person. Make it genuine; wait until you see something really wonderful about someone, and tell them about it.

Have you moved your body to music in the past day? If not, do so — jog for the length of an EDM song at your favorite BPM, or just dance around the room for the length of an upbeat song.

Have you cuddled a living being in the past two days? If not, do so. Don’t be afraid to ask for hugs from friends or friends’ pets. Most of them will enjoy the cuddles too; you’re not imposing on them.

Do you feel ineffective? Pause right now and get something small completed, whether it’s responding to an e-mail, loading up the dishwasher, or packing your gym bag for your next trip. Good job!

Do you feel unattractive? Take a goddamn selfie. Your friends will remind you how great you look, and you’ll fight society’s restrictions on what beauty can look like.

Do you feel paralyzed by indecision? Give yourself ten minutes to sit back and figure out a game plan for the day. If a particular decision or problem is still being a roadblock, simply set it aside for now, and pick something else that seems doable. Right now, the important part is to break through that stasis, even if it means doing something trivial.

Have you seen a therapist in the past few days? If not, hang on until your next therapy visit and talk through things then.

Have you been over-exerting yourself lately — physically, emotionally, socially, or intellectually? That can take a toll that lingers for days. Give yourself a break in that area, whether it’s physical rest, taking time alone, or relaxing with some silly entertainment.

Have you changed any of your medications in the past couple of weeks, including skipped doses or a change in generic prescription brand? That may be screwing with your head. Give things a few days, then talk to your doctor if it doesn’t settle down.

Have you waited a week? Sometimes our perception of life is skewed, and we can’t even tell that we’re not thinking clearly, and there’s no obvious external cause. It happens. Keep yourself going for a full week, whatever it takes, and see if you still feel the same way then.

You’ve made it this far, and you will make it through. You are stronger than you think.

This post is available as a downloadable one-page PDF here.

Some people have asked about making this into a poster or redistributing it. This post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: alteration and redistribution are welcome as long as you attribute my tumblr. For some background and FAQ about the post, see my follow-up post.

lora-mathis

found this because of kiki. this is so important thank you

3-cheers-for-mark-nutt

this is extremely important spread this around and save a life!

gradientlair

Thus Sayeth The Lorde

Audre Lorde knew. And also theorized what we now know as “intersectionality”–as coined and conceptualized by Kimberlé Crenshaw–before Crenshaw’s prominent paper Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color, and after earlier theorizations by Combahee River Collective and Sojourner Truth.

There is no generic social class of women who all experience the totality of gender in the same way, even as we all face misogyny and sexism, in general. There is no reason to deny the intersections of race (i.e White/WoC; non-Black/Black), gender (i.e. cis, trans, femme non-binary), sexual orientation (i.e. hetero, lesbian, bisexual, queer, pansexual, asexual), class, ability, complexion (i.e. Whiteness, light skinned privilege), weight, citizenship status etc. and their impact on our womanhood. To suggest women oppressed at multiple axes must ignore this lived reality to play “unity” (usually under the control of cis Whiteness) is erasure and oppression. Why does “unity” require White control? Why is this type of “unity” more important than equity, justice and freedom?

Audre Lorde knew. Her incredible writing, especially gathered in Sister Outsider, are critical. May her words live on.

clementinevonradics

In high school, I was an ugly girl. I don’t know if others remember me that way, but I do. I did not understand how to apply makeup or how to deal with my frizzy hair. I was heavier. I did not dress well. I found my body frustrating and humiliating. I knew if I were attractive, I would be treated better. I knew also that to judge me on my appearance was a double standard. If I had been a boy, my beauty would matter less. I knew it was unfair, but the unfairness was not what bothered me. What bothered me was my own inability to demystify beauty. To buy new clothes, get a good haircut, and play the game. I did not learn how to apply makeup until I was 21 and had disposable income for the first time. When I did, I was suddenly fascinated by conventional beauty. I lived in a house with 5 anarchists, and I was obsessed with consuming product after product, buying outfit after outfit. I liked the ritual of it, the artistry, but it was never about self-expression. I loved the idea of becoming a passive, easy type of beautiful. It seemed smart. I thought if I could just master the art of beauty, people would leave me alone, and my insecurities and fear about always sticking out (and being left out) would go with them. I realized recently I interact with my body only in the ways it is perceived by others. This realization was not upsetting or cathartic. My body has just never been an aspect of being alive I found useful or interesting to dwell on. Like nearly everything else, I view it with a kind of anxious detachment. It’s nourishment and grooming are confusing, burdensome obligations. What I think of my body does not matter. My body is just the window through which other people see me. It has to be dressed a certain way in order to be understood. Nothing I have experienced in my life, not physical assault, love of a trusted partner, life-threatening infection, or prolonged, encumbering illness has ever brought me close to my body. Perhaps because my body was never mine to begin with. Perhaps it has always been a thing of shame. A vessel. A burden of womanhood. The ways I dress and draw on my makeup are attempts to manipulate others into treating me well. It is important to me to be treated with kindness, and when I wear makeup people are kinder to me. When I wear nice clothes people treat me like I have my life together, and I very much want to have my life together. My appearance is just an attempt to look pretty enough to get me where I want to go. I have a willingness to adapt and live within the world as it is, not as I would like it to be. I have more ambition than a dozen men. Beauty, perhaps not. Autonomy? Sometimes I feel I have none.

On Having A Body, Clementine von Radics (via everybodyandtelevision)

Clementine this is beautiful please visit me soon

(via arabellesicardi)

executionerbarbie

Okay!! Here’s what I’ve been working on for my upcoming mixtape Aposematic. I’ll post the lyrics separately/they’re in the description. The beat is by the ever rad traplordjinzo, thank you for letting me run with this fam!! Hope y’all enjoy.

executionerbarbie

happy #blackout watch for my mixtape lmao