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Today's Document
bliss lane
Misplaced Lens Cap
The Stonewall Inn
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Monterey Bay Aquarium
d e v o n
Cosimo Galluzzi
Cosmic Funnies
almost home
Andulka
Claire Keane
YOU ARE THE REASON
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
The Bowery Presents
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@theartofmadeline
we're not kids anymore.
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@karistina
In case Twitter gets shut down, hi! I’m Karistina. On Twitter, I’m RealKaristina because Karistina was already taken.
I’m disabled and queer and I make generative art using Midjourney AI. Here are four of the images from my Abstract Femme set that I’m selling as PFPs over on Ko-Fi.
If we know each other from Twitter, please feel free to “introduce” yourself in a reply so I can match Twitter name to Tumblr name!
I wake up somewhere between 1 pm and 3 pm unless I have a medical appointment earlier than that. I get out of bed to use the bathroom…
I wrote this post in 2022, but it's still very relevant. In fact, I struggle each year to compose things on the days of the year dedicated to my various illnesses and disabilities, so I scheduled this post to go live today all the way back in December 2022.
Severe ME/CFS is a debilitating chronic illness, often with post-viral onset. Some of you reading this may be Long COVID patients who meet the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS.
Republicans have made SCOTUS unhealthy. It is a done deal.
Democrats changing SCOTUS is not unhealthy.
Yeah say it louder: Republicans ALREADY BROKE SCOTUS. Now, to fix it, Democrats need to use their power and popular support to UNFUCK IT. For fucks sake why is this so difficult.
My cartoon for the latest issue of New Scientist.
Our world.
It’s Rare Disease Day again. A disease is rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. Lucky me, I’ve been affected by more than one…
I wrote this last year. I didn't have the energy to write up something new for this year, even though I have at least one new rare disease diagnosis, possibly more than one. (I'd have to look up whether or not some things are considered rare.)
Please read and spread the word about rare diseases! Feel free to comment/reblog to share your own rare disease diagnoses.
A Letter to Call Me Kevin
I was so heavy hearted seeing Call Me Kevin (a popular gaming youtuber) not just play Hogwarts Legacy, but as a sponsorship deal with Warner Brothers, that I sent him a letter.
I decided to publish it here as an open letter because a) I don't know if he'll even read it, and b) it acts as a good explanation for my stance on the game. Letter follows.
Dear Kevin,
I'm not sure if you'll read this or it will mean anything to you, but I feel compelled to share. I wonder if I will be the only one. I'm a content creator in the commentary sphere, my primary focus is on activism across various areas, including queer rights, which probably now makes it clear where this is going.
I also stream and have a gaming channel, and yours has been one of my favourites to watch for a long time. Like you I've had a tremendous time with the old Harry Potter games, I grew up with them and memories of PS1 Hagrid and "A BEAN!" will forever make me smile. I started the Harry Potter society at my university. While every VP from the other societies had a certificate that said 'Vice President', mine said 'Head of Slytherin House' (which I do not recommend from a resume perspective). I too thought an open world Potter game with a character creator would be absolutely incredible. As such I do not hold with using that childhood love of the series as a justification for not listening to the trans community on issues that affect them.
Like many people, I am boycotting the new Warner Brothers game. I'd be extraordinarily surprised if in your current position as an online influencer you didn't already know this, but assuming the best: the trans community at large, including all my trans friends, the trans creators and gamers I follow, have very specifically detailed why supporting and promoting work so strongly associated with JKR, who is at the forefront of the transphobia sweeping the world at the moment, is a bad idea. Their positions, and my subsequent stance are very clear: this game's popularity, as in the popularity of other media associated with JKR, are being used to promote transphobic ideology and hatred. On the off chance that you simply have no trans people in your life and have been away from social media and news for a few years, I'll leave some resources at the bottom of this email.
As a queer, female activist making silly videos online, I am very regularly at the receiving end of a lot of hatred. It's been increasingly vile, violent and harassing whenever I have debunked myths around transgender people or discussed trans rights in general. At a time when people are fighting for their right to healthcare, to basic public space access and simple dignities, I am distraught that so many consider simply not playing or not mentioning a game to be too much.
For simply declaring they will not support the game or asking others to do the same, a huge swathe of trans creators online are receiving messages saying "avada kedavra". The message that supporting this game sends those bigots is very clear: they are vindicated.
I was truly sorry when I saw that not only have you shared the gameplay, but you have done so as a sponsorship with Warner Bros. It brought a resurgence of the feelings I had seeing JKR fall deeper into a bigoted rabbit hole, as it became clear she was not just mistaken and willing to learn, but in fact happy to lead this movement of oppressive hate.
I've always loved your content, but I love this world and the people in it more, especially my dear trans friends who have asked for this one simple thing while they fight for their lives every day. I know, this isn't an aeroport. I simply felt as a long time fan and fellow creator, especially with the perspective of a queer activist, I couldn't walk away without expressing these thoughts and giving you the opportunity to think over this choice, even if you don't feel the need to change anything.
I sincerely hope WB paid you a lot of money in return for making your video, just as I hope you'll consider using some of it to fund some trans-inclusive charities. At the very least, if you are content to make money from this (and it's important to note that even if you are supportive of trans rights, transphobes will see and use you taking part in this sponsorship as a victory), I hope that you might also consider using your huge platform to actively promote trans rights. That is the only way to prevent yourself and your content being considered on the side of the hate mob.
In 2020-2021, transphobic hate crimes reported to the police in the UK had risen 16%. This year, the increase was 56%. It is not a 'war of ideology', or a conservative talking point- it's real hurt against real people. They are worth so much more than a video game. So much more than money.
I am deeply heartened by all the gaming creators who are actively standing up against transphobia, boycotting the game publicly and raising money and awareness for trans organisations. I can only hope that in time, you join those ranks too.
Some sources for your attention follow. It is my greatest wish that you have been ignorant of the issues around the trans community and JKR, and might consider taking some action in the wake of learning more.
If you would like to discuss, learn more, or be pointed in the direction of some excellent trans creators, I am quite happy to help.
Best wishes,
Emma Thorne.
Rise in Trans Hate Crimes UK: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63157965
Study on the effects of Gender Affirming care in reducing trans teen suicide rates https://www.gendergp.com/what-is-the-transgender-suicide-rate/
Mermaids UK- an LGBTQ+ youth charity that would greatly benefit from the promotion of a large creator- https://mermaidsuk.org.uk
The Trevor Project- an LGBTQ+ youth charity focused on preventing youth suicide- https://www.thetrevorproject.org
An opinion piece on some of the reasons not to support Hogwarts Legacy- https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/hogwarts-legacy-jk-rowling-wizarding-world-antisemitism-gamergate/
GLAAD accountability project on JKR (i.e. a simple overview)- https://www.glaad.org/gap/jk-rowling
A trans creators in depth explanation of the harms JKR and supporting her financially causes (this one is long but really worthwhile, especially from a trans person who has been subject to the transphobic hate mob repeatedly, which includes a huge swathe of people in the 'potter' fandom)- https://youtu.be/_GBUArD51KY
Karistina Takes on Mindy, the COVID Minimizer
Revised alternative autism criteria
This continues to be a side-project of mine. I sometimes really wish it was the 1800s and I could just up and declare myself a scientist and doctor and everyone would go with it. I’m planning to take these to my (autism-specialist) therapist tomorrow. I’ve done a bit of revising, added a few points, and clarified the impairment bit. Thoughts?
A. Differences in perception (at least 3)
1. Sensory defensiveness (ie, complaints or avoidance of any of the following: loud noises or places, bright lights, textures (food or object/clothing), tastes, smells, touch)
2. Sensory seeking (ie, stims or stimming behaviour such as rocking, flapping, finger flicking, hair twirling, spinning objects, etc or actively desiring any of the following: deep pressure or touch, vestibular sensation [swings, spinning in any context, etc], specific smells, tastes, or textures)
3. Auditory processing difficulties
4. Unusual, awkward, or delayed motor skills, or asymmetry between gross and fine motor skills (ie, clumsy but with strong fine motor skills, good gross motor skills with poor hand-writing or table skills, strong skills in a special-interest related area but poor overall [such as an ability to manipulate small objects but poor handwriting])
5. A reduced or lack of conscious awareness and/or use of allistic (not autistic) nonverbal behaviour and communication such as facial expression, gesture, and posture. This criterion should not exclude persons who have learnt to read or otherwise comprehend nonverbal behaviour by rote learning, particularly adults. Intentional learning to overcome an inherent difficulty in comprehension is supportive of this criterion. It should also not exclude persons who have been taught to use nonverbals to be less visibly different. In such cases, internal report of difficulty should take precedence over apparent behaviour.
B. Differences in cognition (at least 3, one of which must be 1 or 2)
1. Difficulty in beginning or ending (at least 1):
Perseverative thoughts or behaviours
Needing prompts (visual, verbal, hand-over-hand, etc) to begin or finish a task
Difficulties planning complex activities
Catatonia
Difficulty switching between activities
Lack of apparent startle response
Preference for sameness (same food, same clothes, same travel routes, etc)
2. Difficulty in using language (at least 1, not necessarily present at all times):
Problems with pronoun use that are developmentally inappropriate
A reduced or lack of awareness of tone in self (ie, speaks in a monotone, childish, or otherwise unusual manner) and/or others (ie, does not perceive sarcasm or follow implied prompts, responds to rhetorical statements and questions in earnest)
A reduced or lack of awareness of volume (ie, speaks too loud or too quietly for the situation)
No functional language use (includes sign, PECS, spoken, written, and any other communicative language regardless of form)
Echolalia
Mutism in some or all situations
Uses scripts instead of spontaneous language (these may also be delayed echolalic in nature)
3. At least one special interest in a topic that is unusual for any combination of intensity (ie, does not want to learn/talk about anything else, collects all information about the topic) or subject matter (ie, unusual, obscure, or not considered age appropriate). Topics may be age appropriate and/or common (such as a popular television show or book), but the intensity of interest and/or specific behaviour (such as collecting or organising information as the primary focus) should be taken into account.
4. Asymmetry of cognitive skills
5. Talents in any pattern recognition, including music, mathematics, specific language structures, puzzles, and art (any one meets this criterion, not all must be present)
6. A tendency to focus on details instead of the broader picture, across contexts.
C. These differences cause impairment and/or distress in at least one context (ie, school, work, home), which may be variable over time. Impairment or distress may be defined variably, including meltdowns, anxiety, depression, a pervasive sense of not fitting in, and compulsive behaviours. It is necessary to remember that while the symptoms are not necessarily disabling in themselves, the social response to these symptoms can be disabling. The impairment or distress may be historical, with appropriate evidence to support this claim (ie, a documented history of meltdowns as a child, and only mild anxiety as an adult), as distress may decrease over time and with education. D. Symptoms should be present in early childhood, but may not be noticable until social demands outpace compensatory skills, at any age
I have a master's in psychology and I was diagnosed as autistic in my 30s. This beats any DSM criteria for autism that has ever existed by several orders of magnitude.
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i wonder if this is all a plot for elon to inflate the views of his own tweets
I actually suspected this considering my suspicion for why I think he implemented it in the first place
Didn't Facebook get nailed for inflating views a few years ago?
Yep. Twitter reminded me that they killed College Humor by artificially inflating their views 10x and convincing them to move to solely a Facebook channel, ditching their website.
i dislike the implications that "disabled people who aren't working" and "disabled people who cannot afford to be unemployed" are discrete categories. bc i guarantee they do overlap. some disabled people will not be able to afford to be unemployed but they cannot, even at a push, even with accommodations, remain in employment. and it's important to remember them
the transition in the past two decades from family sitcoms and ‘friends all living together’ sitcoms to workplace comedies signifies a larger shift in how work dominates our lives and leaves no space for traditional family or community raising in this essay i will
Happy Hanukkah 🕎💛
