Kim Siever’s Political Blog

Radical left queer Mormon. Parent of 6. Functional vegetarian. Amateur cook. Laundry doer. Poet. ADHD. Lemon lover.

[kimsiever]

Queer Mormons often think they’re the only one, that there’s no one else like them in the church. But this just isn’t true.

Take my ward, for example. I know of at least 12 members who’ve lived in our ward over the last 5 years who are queer. Most of them, however, weren’t publicly out.

And if everyone is closeted, then everyone thinks they’re alone.

Just because you don’t know of any queer members in your ward (or stake) doesn’t mean there aren’t any. There are more than you realize.

You’re not the only one.

[kimsiever]

[fforsythiaaa]

Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.

[kimsiever]

Alberta increased its base minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2018.

When we adjust for inflation, that is the equivalent of $11.57 an hour today.

[kimsiever]

The next time someone tells you that business owners take on all the risk, send them this link:

Two arrested after four migrant farm workers killed in Italy minivan fire

CCTV images showed two people blocking the van's doors from the outside and throwing liquid inside to start a fire.

[kimsiever]

WestJet contract negotiations head to conciliation Over 4,000 cabin crew workers across Canada have been waiting since the end of December for a new collective agreement....

WestJet contract negotiations head to conciliation

[kimsiever]

Billionaires don’t run their companies—workers do Despite the fantasy that someone people have of billionaires running the companies they own, most of these companies are run by worker labour....

Billionaires don’t run their companies—workers do

[kimsiever]

The next time someone tells you that business owners take on all the risk, send them this link:

Father of 5 dies after being trapped by fallen pallet in ‘tragic’ industrial accident

A family is mourning a loving husband and father of five who was killed in an industrial accident.

[kimsiever]

Olds College workers to vote on new agreement These workers have been waiting for nearly two years to get a new collective agreement....

Olds College workers to vote on new agreement

[kimsiever]

Corporations in June

[kimsiever]

The next time someone tells you that business owners take on all the risk, send them this link:

Three workers killed, two hospitalised after toxic gas leak at Ludhiana factory - India TV News

Police said they will also examine whether mandatory safety protocols were followed during the sewer-cleaning operation.

[kimsiever]

AB lost over 350 physician registrations last quarter We gained under 340 new registrations, so we saw a net loss in doctors....

AB lost over 350 physician registrations last quarter

[kimsiever]

Pentagon taking ‘unprecedented’ stakes in Canadian mines

https://youtube.com/shorts/AvmYhbKC2cs?si=Pl75f5p-AokIEWrP

[kimsiever]

The next time someone tells you that business owners take on all the risk, send them this link:

2 workers killed in Badda chips factory fire

Short circuit suspected as the cause

[kimsiever]

RM of Wood Buffalo accused of unionbusting

Last summer, I wrote an article about transit workers in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo who were trying to unionize. These workers, through Local 362 of the Teamsters, filed the application on 16 July 2025 for transit workers employed by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Specifically, the application is for all workers who are operational supervisors in the municipality’s…

RM of Wood Buffalo accused of unionbusting

[kimsiever]

Massachusetts Uber, Lyft drivers certify first statewide ride-hailing union amid automation fears

Drivers for ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft became the first to certify a union, a milestone in the effort to organize gig-economy w

Drivers for ride-hailing apps in Massachusetts became the first in the USA to certify a union, marking a milestone in the growing effort to organize gig-economy workers amid ongoing concerns over pay, expenses and working conditions.

[kimsiever]

The next time someone tells you that business owners take on all the risk, send them this link:

6 workers killed after under-construction bridge collapses in UP during storm

A portion of an under-construction bridge over the Betwa river collapsed in Hamirpur during a late-night storm, killing at least six laboure