I Don’t Really Want To Wade Into Discourse Too Much Today Because I Know Everyone Is Extremely Miserable

I don’t really want to wade into discourse too much today because I know everyone is extremely miserable online rn but I think if you want to give people genuine advice on what to do politically, “join a union/get involved in your current union/organise your workplace” or “join ACORN/a tenant union/etc” is much more actionable advice than like “build community.”

the problem with “community” is that it doesn’t have the same formal infrastructure / resources / political connections / organising capacity that allows your hard work to have reach far beyond your immediate circle (which is what a union has), and also because like, “community” is an extremely vague and abstract concept that can mean anything from a local restaurant run by your neighbour to a church to your dnd friend group. Reaching out and helping your neighbours is a good thing, lots of people are having a really tough time and helping people around you pay rent or take care of their family or etc is a good thing and you should feel good doing that, but in response to the complete institutional and political failure of electoral liberalism I think the next best option is to turn towards already existing national infrastructure that can mobilise people without requiring you to individually maintain dedicated personal relationships with everyone around you. In my experience + the experience of many long-time activists that I know, relying on interpersonal connections to organise and get things done leads to highly sectarian, disorganised, toxic, and unpleasant organising conditions. The cold impersonal bureaucracy of union membership is legitimately a good solution to this problem.

there are many little positions of power available in these organisation that become open to you for as low a cost as showing up to zoom meetings. I have personally been elected to positions in various unions/orgs literally because I was someone who showed up to meetings! Nobody goes to committee meetings! You get annual budgets! You get to pass votes, organise events, spend money on organising materials! You get to buy food for people! Organising is so much easier in these spaces.

And of course, you are going to face the same ideological resistance, apathy, ignorance, incompetence, and bigotry that you would at your local queer meet-up or community neighbourhood council, and I have no illusions about the institutional limits of unions (which can also be reactionary, bigoted, highly disorganised, incompetent, toxic, and so on), but if you want to avoid completely exhausting yourself and resenting everyone around you, you don’t need to build “community” from the ground up, there are already structures out there where you can do good work. For all the resistance there is to unions and union activity, you will face that same level of resistance with local organising but have none of the power, resources, or institutional legitimacy already secured by unions

Transgender men and sexual violence

Transgender men and transmasculine people are often erased and ignored by the wider queer community. This leads to our suffering being ignored and erased. While all transgender people are more likely to face sexual violence, Transgender men and transmasculine people have the highest rate of sexual violence of the whole queer community - disabled trans men and trans men of color being the most vulnerable.

Trevor Project (2024)

Transgender men and transmasculine people who are victims of sexual violence deserve support and community. Studies have shown that when victims of sexual violence don't have support and community they are likely to commit suicide. Places to donate that provide support to all transgender people:

The Trevor Project "The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people. We provide information & support to LGBTQ+ young people 24/7, all year round." Mermaids "Mermaids supports transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children and young people, as well as their families and professionals involved in their care."

Places to donate that provide support transgender men and transmasculine people: The international man project "The Intentional Man Project provides men of trans experience with the community and the programmatic support they need to live healthier, connected, and more fulfilling lives." Black Trans Men Inc "Since 2011, Black Transmen Inc has firmly planted ourselves on the forefront of organizing the modern movement for Black trans equality. Still too often, black transmen are overshadowed in the fight for social equality. Founded by Carter & Esperanza Brown, Black Transmen, Inc. (BTMI) takes pride in its role as the first national nonprofit social advocacy organization with a specific focus on empowering African American transgender men by addressing multi-layered issues of injustice faced at the intersections of racial, sexual orientation, and gender identities."

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ilyanposting

4 months ago

I'm literally begging you, please be weird and queer, online and offline if you can, I want you to live life being as fascinating as possible

you'll only be alive for so long, please spend some time being odd

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ilyanposting

6 months ago

notice how linkedin isn’t on maslow’s hierarchy of needs

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ilyanposting

1 year ago

'ritual for passage into manhood for a new man' via ftm international, issue 41 (june 1998)

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ilyanposting

8 months ago

you cant ever let yourself forget what it felt like to be 15. how adults treated you. being treated without a shred of respect because people think youre too young to have thoughts and feelings of your own. the lack of autonomy. you cant ever forget that because if you do you might become the kind of adult who treats kids like theyre not people

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ilyanposting

11 months ago

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ilyanposting

3 months ago

To quote my mother, who grew up under a dictator:

"Dictatorships are born in whispers."

Pay attention to every bill or executive order. Don't ask how it'll benefit the country. Ask how it'll benefit the one trying to get it passed. You'll start noticing the whispers.

To those who say, "Stop reading between the lines." No. Always read between the lines. Never take a politician at face value. This goes for all politicians regardless of party.

Look at their history, listen to their words, and ask yourself, "How is this benefiting them?"

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