If you want to support Ukrainians, DO NOT donate to Red Cross. Can't speak about their work in other countries, but they're useless in Ukraine. The only trustworthy international organisation I can think of is World Central Kitchen.
Donate to World Central Kitchen
And it's even better to donate directly to Ukrainian organisations. Here are a few good legit places:
hospitallers.life - "Hospitallers", Ukrainian paramedics on the frontlines
savelife.in.ua - "Come Back Alive", assistance to the army
prytulafoundation.org - "Prytula Foundation", assistance to the army, humanitarian causes
starenki.com.ua - "Starenki", helping elderly people
everybodycan.com.ua - "Everybody Can", helping disabled children, elders and hospitals
Don't let republicans fool you with their national populism cause they do not give a single care for veterans who died and suffered for America. They would hollow out the VA and fill it corporate and political stooges who would blindly follow the GOP's bidding. Our government doesn't care enough for veterans and here we have Republicans confirming it, remember it was Biden who passed the CARE act. So remember a future where our soldiers suffer more than they already do is what the Republicans want.
In the past several decades countries around the world have shown significant progress in marriage equality. Specifically, for same-sex couples. However, true marriage equality still fails to exist in most parts of the world. This essay is going to be USA focused, but feel free to add on with examples outside of the USA.
Disabled couples are probably the most evident and easily researched example. Healthcare in the US is notoriously expensive. It also is lacking in several different areas, but that's a topic for another time. Many disabled people rely on Social Security Benefits(SSB) to be able to support themselves and have access to the things that they need. But if they get married, they could completely lose access to their SSB regardless of whether they still need it. According to DREDF, if two individuals relying on SSI (social security income) get married they could lose access to not only 25% of their stipend, but also 25% of their asset limit. Further, if one person with SSI marries someone without SSI they also get a 25% cut in their asset limit, along with potentially completely losing their SSI. Finally, if someone receives DAC (Disabled Adult Child benefit, which is available for disabled adults who are still considered Dependents, allows access to Medicare and Medicaid, and is based on the work record of a parent or guardian, not the receiving adult), then marriage will in most cases immediately end their DAC benefits.
Another group lacks marriage equality is the polyamorous community. People in polyamorous relationships lack the right to get married. This in-turn creates a whole bunch of legal difficulties. Insurance frequently only extends to married partners, healthcare is often reliant on insurance. Further, if one partner gets admitted to the hospital, the other partners may not have the appropriate allowance to make necessary medical decisions. They may not even be contacted. Property, housing, and joint-tax filings are also things that polycules may have difficulty with. Not to mention, not all members of a polycule will have the same rights and allowances if a break-up or divorce happens. Because they wouldn't necessarily all be married, separation of assets and child custody may not be evenly or fairly split.
A third group is couples without children. This may seem like an oddball, but there is a good reason for it to be included. The system in the US assumes that you will have children or grandchildren to look after you when you are older. It also assumes that you will have started a retirement fund at some point. However, this doesn't apply to all people. And elderly care is dangerously expensive. According to an article on U.S.News, updated April 2026, at home care can be as "cheap" as $25,000 a year for two hours of supervision (not medical care!) a day. It can also cost over $300,000 for 24/7 supervision, also not including medical care. On the flip-side, the cheap end of nursing home is around $115,000 per year for 24/7 supervision, a semi-private room, and both medical and non-medical care. For a private room, it costs around $130,000 depending on where you are. According to the American Council on Aging, prices reach up to $300,000 in California. Or in other words, over $900 every single day. For elderly couples who have kids who can help pay for these services, or who can provide them for free or for cheap, it can dramatically lower the price.
Finally, immigrant families. More specifically, couples where one person gets a Green Card upon marriage. Firstly, in order to be legally recognized as married and to gain a Green Card, you need to be able to prove that your relationship is real. Then, depending on the length of time you have been married you can get either a permanent or conditional Green Card. A conditional Green Card is granted if you get married within two years of applying. If you get divorced with a permanent Green Card, then you have to update it. However, if you get divorced with a conditional Green Card then you will have to be able to prove that your marriage was real or that your divorce was because of something like Domestic Violence or Adultery. If you cannot do these things, then you will have to give up your Green Card. Further, if you try to divorce during the Green Card application process then your application will be stopped. Additionally, if you do not start the filing process to switch from a conditional card to a permanent one before your conditional one expires, after two years, then you lose your citizenship.
Marriage Equality will not exist until all marriages are equal. It is a good thing, definitely worthy of celebration, that same-sex marriages are legal. But the fight for complete marriage equality is far from over and many people are suffering as a result. Until disabled people no-longer have to decide between getting Social Security Benefits and having their relationships officially recognized (and the benefits thereof); until polyamorous people no-longer have to decide to only marry one partner or none at all, and face increased risk if a divorce or separation occurs; until married couples with no kids don't have to worry about what they will do when they are old; until immigrants don't have to worry about losing their citizenship; we will not have true marriage equality. If we want true marriage equality then we need to look out for each other, both within and outside of our communities. Vote for politicians that support marriage equality, call or text or email your representatives about bills concerning marriage equality, fund organizations that fight for marriage equality. Educate yourself, and educate others. Thank you.
You can find the sources referenced in the comments of this post, please check them out!
kind of a vent under the cut but i wanted to ask does anyone have any advice when it comes to elderly care and specifically dementia and loss of physical autonomy??
have been stepping up a lot to help my mother care for my grandfather in the past few months and it is taking a big big toll on me. i'm happy to help and even if i weren't i'd still have to because my mom is less than a step away from having a massive breakdown and uh..... i'd rather not but um. the responsibility is taking its toll to be honest.
i am not physically strong enough to lift and move him a lot of the time when it is needed so i'm expending all of my energy (not even mentioning that i have a chronic illness myself) and i do not have much knowledge on dementia care so i'm always grasping at straws trying to figure out how to talk to him. he's not eligible for either a nursing home or financial help with carers because they won't give us disability and we do not have the means to get him proper care on our own. this just really sucks and i'm heartbroken that he isn't getting the care he deserves but i have no idea how to make it better.
the most i can honestly do is try to offer some kindness and positivity, i've been reading picture books with him and stuff, but other than that i feel really tired and helpless
