tbh one of the reasons losing my mom 'early' is so hard is because typically in our family we live a long time. like i've done the research!! even back in the 1600s we were hitting our 80s and 90s. we must have the long life gene on my mom's side (across branches) save a few people and circumstances (but even then the ages were typically late 60-70s instead, people weren't dying at 50 or 60). like my mom's mom is still alive even with a bajillion different cancers residing in her body. so we're just not mentally prepared for losing her in her 60s when her cancer filled mom is near 80 and all of her grandparents were basically 79-100 when they died.

like other than an accident (which I guess you could argue that cancer is an accident of the body) we just didn't expect this to happen. and even with cancer.... like my nana is still here, she still is kicking despite having a million cancers since she was 49. in fact, my first distinct memory of my nana is her wearing the most atrocious red wig imaginable and scaring the shit out of me as a small child.

and she's still here! because her cancers have been able to be cut out. and my mom's hasn't for the most part. and it's just infuriatingly bad luck. because my mom has been healthy for the most part other than this. but that's been the case for almost everyone i've lost in the last few years. they were all in good health until they weren't.

Hello! I hope you are doing well <3

I was just curious to know if there's any significance of having a placement in 15°, since it's the exact middle of the 30° a sign occupies.

Thank you in advance, keep making amazing content!!!

Hello! I hope you are also doing well. Thank you so much for the compliment! And oh, an interesting question. Let's dive into it, shall we? 🤍

𝟏𝟓 𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 ✧

✧ The 15th Degree

Let's start with the general description of this degree first. According to Nikola Stojanovic (the creator of the degree theory), the 15° is one of the three degrees (3°, 15°, 27°) that rule Gemini energy. They revolve around the themes of siblings, communication, writing, the two of something, early education, technology, neighborhood, social activity, and the color yellow. (Trigger Warning) In general, Nikola described this specific degree as malefic as it may indicate car accidents, ass*ssination, and k*llings, especially if the native also has Scorpio and 8th House placements. Now, please remember that it will manifest differently in our lives. At the end of the day, our fate lies in our hands.

Aside from the description above, I could not find any sources that indicate the 15th degree as significant in general. However, there is what we call The Avatar Degree, which involves the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) in this degree.

✧ The Avatar Degree

Going back to your original question, some Astrologers claim that the 15 Degrees in Fixed Signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) hold some significance as it is exactly halfway between the cardinal equinox and solstice points. In fact, it is regarded as the “Avatar degree” (or “The Gates of the Avatars”) because avatars are known to be free spiritual beings with magical powers. That said, natives with this degree often have unusual gifts and talents, resourcefulness, lucky accidents, and coincidences. They are seen as “magical” people as they often make even impossible things come true. Their enormous dedication (which is a common fixed sign trait) helps them rise above life's challenges and achieve whatever they lay their eyes upon. These people have the potential to attain remarkable success during their lifetime. In some cases, they are even seen as someone who possesses “god-like” abilities.

The Avatar degree is applicable to people who have it in their planets or in their Ascendant. 

✧ Some famous people with the “Avatar Degree”

Helen Keller

9th House Mars in Leo at 15°

Helen Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and educator. She contracted a disease at the age of 19 months that left her blind and deaf. Despite that, she was able to attain an extraordinary accomplishment in the education of persons with disabilities. She graduated cum laude at Radcliffe College in 1904.

Also, I find it fascinating that one of the films made to depict Keller's childhood living with her mentor, Anne Sullivan, was titled The Miracle Worker. And the fact that individuals with Avatar degrees are seen as magical and miraculous with their notable transcendental qualities. (Also, that film is a must-watch!)

Pablo Picasso

10th House Neptune in Taurus at 15°

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer considered one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. Despite having a poor performance as a student, he had an exceptional talent for drawing at a very young age (child prodigy), which makes sense because he had the Avatar Degree in Neptune, that is the planet of art and creativity. He was credited with the creation of Cubism (an artistic movement), along with Georges Braque.

Serena Williams

5th House Mars in Leo at 15°

Having the Avatar degree in Mars, the planet of sports and physical activities, Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player and regarded as one of the most accomplished tennis players of all time. She also paved the way for black women in sports.

Stevie Wonder

10th House Pluto in Leo at 15°

Stevie Wonder is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Despite being blind, he was a child prodigy and a musical genius who went on to become one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century.

Other famous people with the Avatar degree: Marvin Gaye, David Cassidy, Carlos Puidgemont, Angela Merkel, John Paul Getty, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Leslie Nielsen, Alice Cooper, Marcel Merceau, and so on.

✧ Short Observations

The entire chart must be taken into consideration.

People with the Avatar degree tend to experience early life challenges before they experience significant success later on.

Despite that, these people often recognize their talents earlier in life.

Their success often lasts long as the fixed signs indicate stability and lasting effect.

The planet, sign, house placement, and its ruler may indicate what area of life the native has gifts and talents or may become successful in. Here are some examples for the planets:

Sun - things related to leadership, politics, singing, acting, performing, hairstyling, entertaining

Moon - things related to caregiving, nursing, music, therapy, counseling, healing

Mercury - things related to writing, communication, social media, calculation, management, entrepreneur, interviewing

Venus - things related to finance, business, relationships, career, food, music, fashion, beauty, film, interior designing

Mars - things related to sports, physical activities, coaching, police, military, stunts

Jupiter - things related to teaching, preaching, education, law, philosophy, traveling, religious and spiritual affairs

Saturn - things related to politics, finance, business, leadership, CEO

Uranus - things related to technologies, inventing, reforming, activism, social work

Neptune - things related to music, arts, psychic skills, photography, dancing, poetry, films

Pluto - things related to psychology, healing, investigation, forensics

✧ Takeaway:

People with the Avatar degree often have the potential for greatness as they possess qualities that make them conquer even the hardest battles. The examples above prove that this degree does not signify doom for the native. In fact, there is the potential for permanent fame and success. In order to achieve this, the native must recognize the power that this degree holds and start harnessing it for their own good. It's not easy, but it's definitely worth it.

Side note: I hope this helps to answer your question. Thank you so much for asking! Have a great day/night! 🤍

References: X X X X X X X

Credit to @firefly-graphics for the divider. The gif and the photos used are taken from Google and Pinterest. Credit goes to the rightful owners.

Copyright © 2022 ellmeria | All rights reserved.

If you had to choose, would you rather be blown up with a missile or cyberbullied? Or would you say these are about equal?

it’s always strange to stumble onto those people who never evolved past the tumblr social justice of six years ago, whose top priority remains figuring out which TV shows or celebrities are Moral or Immoral. Somebody has to sit them down and tell them we’ve all moved on to more useful stuff, like communism

So tell me, have you determined Ana Mardoll to be Immoral, buddy? Or do your ideals go out the window when there's someone within reach that you can actually hurt, rather than a celebrity that you can't affect at all?

Fun fact, I found that by searching "communism" on your blog, because I wanted to know what order of leftist dirtbag I was dealing with. Maybe when you're rolling up on someone to accuse them of hypocrisy, or whatever the fuck this ridiculous ask was supposed to do, you should check and see if you're not a major flaming shitbag first.

I mean, for fuck's sake. You're thirty years old. Please evolve a morality beyond that of a 15-year-old edgelord.

It is pretty awesome to me that people might actually be thinking about how complicit the Global North is in the destruction of the Global South, and how complicit all Americans are in the military-industrial complex. It's pretty fucking funny to me -- in the dark, sarcastic way -- that it's happening because people are excited to dogpile a disabled trans man at the behest of

literal Nazi pedophiles

rather than because y'all are capable of having conversations like fucking adults.

It would be incredible if, in the middle of all the posting you do about unions, you grappled with the fact that 60% of manufacturing jobs in the US manufacture for the US military. It would be awesome, in the middle of all of your worker solidarity stuff, if you grappled with the fact that without the US military, unemployment in the US would hop multiple percentage points immediately. It would be fucking incredible if, while you're lauding communism, you stopped for a moment to wonder "who is currently developing the mechanisms for automated assembly which are necessary for fully-automated luxury queer space communism?"

I think all of this is a bad thing, by the way. I am keenly, acutely aware of how the US military preys on poor people, and I have posted about that for years, because that's how my grandfather got out of the coal mines where he worked as a child. I am deeply, deeply aware of how complicit my tax dollars make me in the military-industrial complex, and I would fucking love it if we could genuinely have a conversation about any of that. I would really love it if we also had a conversation about how the device you used to send me this shit message used rare minerals mined in some of the most exploitative working conditions which have ever existed, too. Genuinely. That would be great.

But we're not having that conversation, are we? No, we're not. We're having a conversation in which you attempt to singularly foist the full responsibility for the US military onto the head of a single trans man working ten hours a week renewing software licenses for text editors for Lockheed Martin.

You know what conversation we're also not having? The one where you acknowledge that the person you're carrying water for right now, the known Nazi pedophile -- like, someone who has actually advocated for pedophilia enough that 8chan fucking fired him as an admin over it, not Tumblr's definition that includes "anyone I don't like" -- who runs KF, files you, and me, and every other trans person under "lolcow." The one where you actually acknowledge that KF has a kill count, and a rape count, and they're proud of it. The one where you, a 30-year-old white disabled non-binary person, throw your lot in with literal fucking Nazis because you feel like that makes you morally pure in this moment.

Like, are you good, standing right there next to the face-eating leopard? Do you feel great about yourself, Zak buddy, having helped make it clear to people who find hunting trans people for sport to be fun that leftists will absolutely turn on each other the second that they find the person that's annoying enough? Is that your big achievement today? That's your worker solidarity, buddy? Rather than having a discussion about how places like Lockheed Martin get grants from the government to target disabled workers, and often pay well below market rate on those jobs, and how solidarity means helping people get out of those jobs -- so that rather than relying upon the false generosity of the oppressor, they are capable of standing on their own -- rather than saying "you're stuck there, so fuck you, you're Immoral"?

Let me get this straight: you're coming down on the side of "doxxing a disabled trans person (who has been open about wanting to move out of Texas and get away from his current job by getting to a state with a Medicaid expansion that will allow him to quit) is acceptable to me as long as I find a way to justify that, even if it goes against all of the things I say that I believe on my shitty little Tumblr full of pithy quotes which in the end mean nothing to me when the rubber hits the road," and you're also coming down on the side of "I'm going to send a useless, shitty ask to another trans person who did leave the bank jobs in which he was asked to compromise his values after whistleblowing saw both him and his spouse demoted/transferred and it was clear he couldn't fix anything and got a job in compliance where he hoped he could actually enforce consumer protection laws, and who, instead of returning to the financial sector at all after he lost his last job due to disability, founded a company in which all eligible workers are members of the IWW, and who pays a starting wage of $24.20 to operations workers/$26.40 to department leads, after negotiating a 10% lift in salary from last year due to excessive inflation"?

And you think you're... what... one of the good guys? That's what you think?

I understand it may be hard to wrap your brain around, full as it is of neat paragraphs from things you've read which you don't actually believe when you have to put it in practice, but the minute that you decided to jump on board spreading a harassment campaign on behalf of Nazis, you failed at the moral questions which seem to be so important to you.

I understand it may be hard to wrap your brain around, full as it is of neat paragraphs from things you've read which you don't actually believe when you have to put it in practice, but the minute that you decided to jump on board spreading a harassment campaign on behalf of Nazis, you failed at the moral questions which seem to be so important to you.

Fucking quisling. Maybe if you're really nice to the Nazi pedo leopard, Zak, and do his work for him, he won't eat your face when he's done with other trans people's.

EDIT: Turning of reblogging because fuck this dude in particular. I want this shit to die.

From the People’s CDC, January 11, 2024:

Join us in writing to the president, our governors, state and federal representatives and telling them to take action to bring back masks in healthcare. When you finish sending a letter, use our call-in toolkit to reinforce the message: the current COVID surge endangers us all. Bring back universal masking in healthcare.

​Our letter to elected officials is below. You may send it using our form, or borrow our letter in part or full to communicate with your representatives or community leaders.

Send a letter to elected officials

Requiring masks in healthcare is urgent for patient, visitor and staff safety. Much COVID transmission is asymptomatic. Multiple studies show universal masking lowers transmission, particularly if using N95s. Universal masking is crucial, especially in today’s COVID, flu and RSV surge, to reduce aerosol transmission of viruses in healthcare. Ending healthcare mask requirements endangered us all, especially elderly, immunocompromised and disabled people – and healthcare workers. Hospital-acquired COVID has a 5-10% mortality rate. Many people now are delaying care to avoid needlessly infectious settings. Healthcare systems are overwhelmed. An estimated 47 million US residents already suffered Long COVID by late 2022, and we still lack treatments. We need layered protection, including masks, tests, air filters and ventilation. Please take action to make universal masking the standard of care, with respirator masks provided to workers, patients and visitors in healthcare settings.

The US is currently in a large COVID surge, with flu and RSV rates also high. Multiple studies show universal masking lowers transmission, particularly when respirators are used. Universal masking is crucial to reduce viral transmission and help ensure that healthcare settings are healing places, not dangerous ones. Current CDC guidelines on healthcare masking reflect undue influence from business interests to recoup lost profits and keep people at work. CDC guidance and state policies that let hospitals and nursing homes remove mask mandates are putting patients, staff, and us all at risk by increasing the spread of viruses transmitted through infectious aerosols.

Lack of protection in healthcare disproportionately impacts people at higher risk for severe outcomes, including immunocompromised, disabled, and elderly people. Hospital-acquired COVID-19 is particularly dangerous — with a mortality rate as high as 5-10% in parts of Europe. In the US, the CDC stopped requiring hospitals to report hospital-acquired COVID, so we have no way to know the scope of the danger. Many people now are delaying care to avoid healthcare settings that are needlessly infectious. 

Prevention is urgent for numerous reasons — including because many healthcare systems are overwhelmed, and because we lack effective treatments for Long COVID, which can impact and disable anyone, even young, healthy, vaccinated people. A recent estimate from Census Bureau surveys is that, already by late 2022, as many as 47 million US residents had developed Long COVID. An estimated 2 to 4 million people in the US are out of work because of it. Increasing evidence shows that each COVID reinfection raises everyone’s risk of Long COVID and adverse outcomes.

COVID spreads in the air like smoke, so mask mandates can prevent much transmission. Much COVID transmission is from people without symptoms, so people often spread the virus without knowing it. That’s a major reason why layered protection — combining masks, tests, ventilation and more — is essential.

Join us in demanding, alongside prominent infectious disease physicians and community advocates, that universal masking must become the new standard of care, much as gloves were adopted amid the HIV pandemic. Everyone has a right to safe medical care.

Act now for safer healthcare.

Mum accidentally ended up under a pile on when she said death threats against DV survivors were not okay when JKR was brought up by someone totally ignorant of the past decade's drama and the very angry very sweary 'death to joanne' replies poured in. She was then labelled a terf by some teenagers for asking why their anger was directed at jkr and not the tories in power which made clear she was British and an older woman.

She's very literal and doesn't believe in death threats against paedophiles either, just that they should be locked up. That's just how she is... Readmore for length.

So I had to explain what trans exclusionary radical feminists were, how they labelled themselves & it's not a slur and how outrage online isn't rational and often isn't focused at the systemic issues but fallen heroes also often turn into the biggest scapegoats.

The thing that really got to her was the disproportionate energy people had for hating jkr but not other authors or politicians who are far worse, the energy for outrage but no political/community engagement elsewhere.

I wasn't really able to explain why people have energy to be mad at jkr but don't do any offline activism or even get that angry at politicians, there's a sort of passivity, the sense that the game is rigged I guess but people feel maybe they might have the power to make jkr uncomfortable talking smack about marginalised people in public ??

It's hard to explain, on some level I feel like people enjoy bullying and when there is a righteous reason then it's ok to engage in such "fun". On the other, I'm seeing this strange manifestation of trauma where people will be vicious with people who fail to live up to perfection (and that definitely includes trans women - think Hot Allostatic Load: it's a great article that explains something I've seen play out too many times but also isabel fall and the lady who made the mistake of griping about being locked out of the local lesbian scene and ended up painted as the evil pervert who coined the cotton ceiling - she was just really lonely and rightfully sad) with the stored anger and pain that deserved to be directed at multiple systemic issues and instead comes out like a firehose on a peer who is no longer a 'good' peer so they're the enemy. I'd love to read any psych studies but I'm not sure what key words. I know a lot of people are noticing this: energy for rage, apathy for even minor changes we can make. I've seen multiple "stop with the 'omg look at this terf who deserves to die' when you're just retraumatizing trans people by boosting" in the same way that people of colour had to beg for folks to stop boosting black and brown people being brutalised, just graphically making people relive that trauma but please boost actions and learning instead. You know what I'm talking about? Right.

I know the world is terrifying right now but the way social media has raised folks to channel it is not healthy let alone constructive. I'm not sure how to help and not sure how mum can ever regain her purity in the eyes of the little book group she's in. She doesn't like gender, she's actually long been gender non conforming but doesn't know any of the vocabulary. She's still processing trauma from DV and being in a cult so being told how to think gets her hackles up even when she's trying to be as logical and fair as possible. I'm scared the gender crits will reach out and say "hey we're real feminists who care about women, we don't even hate trans folk, come hang out with us and leave behind the rude meanies".

I don't know where to start. With pretty much all other marginalisations we have had people in our life to relate to. Mum's got lesbian, gay, black, Muslim, jewish, sex worker, disabled and mentally ill friends but zero point of reference for trans folk above 14-15 (a friend's child is autiqueer). If any of her friends came out as trans she'd be eating every book available and ready to advocate for them at doctors appointments but right now it's just an abstract concept that makes no sense when she's never been feminine enough to be more than a failed woman and never been that attached to gender.

How do you explain gender dysphoria to someone who's never experienced gender euphoria?

This is someone who never once questioned the anger behind some black lives matter posts, never took wypipo or 'white woman tears' personally because of course anger comes out messy and of course people don't like to think they're racist and have to deliberately learn to be anti racist and will mess up.

The problem here is that it's very hard to talk gender with someone alienated from anything gender related except misogyny.

I remember back when I got into feminism and she'd given up on all that because it didn't have anything to say for working class women who love men. Womanism had the keys to her heart: loving men + hating the patriarchy that crushes their souls along with yours, not wanting the capitalist dream but a different society.

If you've read this far you deserve dog pics, thank you for letting me rant. I'm going to try and find some books by older trans men and women from similar working class backgrounds (no showbiz) and some intro to Judith Butler. Maybe something on the left eating it's own to explain why these younguns don't know how to just boycott and never listen to jkr again.

Replies are welcome, reblogs not. This is delicate and personal. Please have grace. She's trying. I'm trying.

Decided to say everything I do as a profession for the capitalists, cause I’m not just a disabled person I’m also a scheduler (for me) AND a chef (for my household) AND a housekeeper (for my household) AND an animal care worker (for my rescue support animal) AND a health aid/patient advocate (for myself), after all I spend 10+ hours a week solely on ‘lifestyle prescriptions’ such as group therapy and journaling and meditating and exercise! Unfortunately no one will give me money for ALL my hard work. That’s pretty messed up right. Money please thanks

Equity & Access

We have many organizations that are fighting for equity of marginalized groups through legal advocacy and services or urgent crisis/medical relief, but we also wanted to highlight the ones that are working towards equity and access from a non-legal/relief perspective. 

For more information on donation methods and accepted currencies, please refer to our list of organizations page.

ALA "Unite Against Book Bans" Campaign

This campaign run by the American Library Association is the best way to fight against the book bans happening in several U.S. states. This fight is more crucial than ever; in 2022, the ALA recorded the highest number of censorship attempts in the past 20 years. The initiative works to halt the spread of censorship in school and public libraries across the U.S., empower individuals to fight censorship in their communities, and preserve our right to choose what to read. 

Assistance Dogs International

Assistance dogs are essential to millions around the world but are cost prohibitive for many. Supporting this organization will mean that this essential service is less of an economic burden for those who need it. In addition to training and placement, ADI advocates for the legal rights of people with disabilities partnered with assistance dogs and sets standards, guidelines, and ethics for training the dogs.

Clean Air Task Force

As we've seen for a long time now but especially this year with constant natural disasters and alarming news from all over the world, climate change is real and we need to do something about it. Over the past 25 years, CATF, a group of climate and energy experts who think outside the box to solve the climate crisis, has pushed for technology innovations, legal advocacy, research, and policy changes. Their goal is to achieve a zero-emissions, high-energy planet at an affordable cost. We put CATF in this category because we view it as ensuring access to the planet for all of us—since science tells us that hangs in the balance. 

Electronic Freedom Foundation

The leading nonprofit defending civil liberties in digital spaces, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. They fight against online censorship and illegal surveillance, advocate for net neutrality and data protection, and more so that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for everyone. 

Girls Who Code

There is a massive gender gap in technology, and Girls Who Code is actively seeking to end that—and they're on track to close the gap in new entry-level tech jobs by 2030! Girls Who Code also focuses on historically underrepresented groups, not just gender diversity; half of the girls they serve are from those groups, including those who are Black, Latinx, or from low-income backgrounds. Through clubs, college programs, and summer immersions, GWC reaches girls of all ages (elementary school through college) and all knowledge levels (beginner to advanced) to teach them coding, expose them to tech jobs, and provide a community with other women in tech. We imagine this would be close to the hearts of several of our favorite characters, so choose this one if it's close to yours as well.

Global Fund for Women

Global Fund for Women is the largest global organization for gender justice. They support grassroots feminist movements and organizations around the world for maximum local impact and have provided over $184 million in grants to 5,000+ women’s funds in 176 countries over the past three decades. Their recent focus has been providing mobilization and networking resources for women and girls in their own communities and amplifying those voices so they’re heard in the global community.

Red Umbrella

Red Umbrella Fund is the first and only global fund dedicated to supporting the rights of sex workers. Their aim is to ensure that all sex workers can live free from criminalization, stigma, and violence, and the majority of their governance and grantmaking structures is composed of sex workers. In response to the lack of funding in this space, they focus on grantmaking and grant application and planning assistance for sex worker-led community groups and national/regional networks. 

Room to Read

Room to Read focuses on literacy and education for children, particularly girls, in historically low-income communities around the world. They collaborate with local governments and educational providers to ensure that their solutions are sustainable as they work to decrease the rate of illiteracy and increase gender equality in education worldwide.

Waterkeeper Alliance

In 1966, this movement was started by a band of blue-collar fishermen pushing back against industrial polluters, and their tough spirit remains intact through the 300+ local community groups that make up the global Waterkeeper Alliance today. The Alliance works to ensure, preserve, and protect clean and abundant water for all people and creatures. Their programs are diverse, spanning from patrolling waterways against polluters to advocating for environmental laws in courtrooms and town halls and educating in classrooms.

Obviously if someone needs to hunt to survive, or needs animal tested medicine, etc. that's fine. But what about meat as cultural ecosystem interaction? I get bad vibes when people say that Indigenous people should be allowed to eat meat "for survival" and not because that's how their culture slots into the ecosystem. I also recently heard about halal and kosher slaughter methods being outlawed in places because they appeared more brutal even though they were more humane than the standard methods iirc. I consider myself vegan but I am always wary of what I will call "white veganism". Because white people have the ability to undermine veganism just as they do feminism. Also if you know any Indigenous-run vegan blogs I would really really appreciate it.

Okay so before answering I would like to apologize that it took me so long to answer. I myself am white, so my "white" perspective is the only one I can offer you.

I think everyone, indigenous or not, of course can eat meat for survival if that´s necessary. I agree with you on what you call "white veganism" and I myself try to be wary to not fall into the trap or habit of telling less privileged people than myself what to do and what not and how exactly to do them. It is important to remember that your life experience isn´t automatically everyone else´s life experience too.

If I remember correctly, the halal and kosher slaughter method means, that the animal is cut open with a sharp knife at the throat, so like every other slaughter method it involves suffering and pain for the animal. I think the difference to "regular" slaughtering is that the animal isn´t numbed before the slaughter. Therefore, one could argue that it is more brutal.

Veganism means to reduce the harm and exploitation of animals as far as practicable and possible for the individual person. So, everyone can be vegan. I personally am neither indigenous nor Muslim or Jewish and therefore I cannot speak for those people. I can listen to those people, hear their opinions, views and experiences. There are indigenous vegans, Muslim vegans, Jewish vegans, disabled, vegans, Black vegans, Asian vegans etc and they deserve to speak for themselves. At the end they alone have the full understanding of what it means to be indigenous (with all the good and bad sides to it) or Muslim or Jewish... They understand their culture and backround better than I do. ( I think I saw a video of an indigenous vegan recently talking about being indigenous and vegan and will reblog it, if I can find it now).

I personally listen (and share) the views and arguments of non-white vegans when I come across them, but I respect that those discussions aren´t something I actively can take part in because I don´t have the full understanding of what it means to be in their position. (And if I ever happen to do “white veganism” please let me know so that I can learn from it and do better.)

There are more than enough issues with animal rights, e.g., zoos, workers-issues, breeding, animal testing, wool, leather, meat and dairy production. I can advocate for a generally more animal friendly life by trying to change how we often perceive animals as products. I can advocate and take part in discussions where I am concerned. I can advocate to my friends and family, who are in the same or a very similar living situation and life experience to my own, to change their habits and views towards a more animal friendly life.

Also veganism actually is not a white phenomen, the concept of veganism or vegetarianism has been around for such a long time and by different people and cultures. It´s just that you have some people who like to play know it all and go around believing that their way and view is the only accaptable one.

I advocate for veganism because that is what I believe in, but I do think it is important to understand your limits. We all, to an extent, are limited in our view and experience of the world.If there is one thing we all should have learned by now, it is that the earth is a very diverse place. We should encounter each other with mutual respect, both online and offline, as well as being aware of our place in life. Only when you know (and understand your place) you can become aware when you can take the front stage and speak up and when to take a step back into a more passive role. E.g. I am not homosexual, but I can listen to them, learn and understand their issues, better myself where necessary and show my support to them.

Sadly, I do not know about an indigenous-run vegan blog. Maybe someone else does? Also, I can recommend you the blog @acti-veg. It has a lot of information about veganism and has a hashtag called #indigenous issues. Maybe they know an indigenous-run vegan blog?

The treatment of disabled people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic needs to be talked about more, because it’s fucking disgusting.

So let’s talk about it. Abled people reading this, I don’t give a shit how much it makes you uncomfortable, because some of you need to hear this. I’m sick of playing the ‘nice and easy to handle’ disabled person that gets used as a doormat, and considering Covid could make you like one of us at any time, you should probably take some damn notes.

We’re being treated like we’re expendable by eugenicist bastards such as the current governments putting out “do not revive” orders and policies for people with certain disabilities [I am looking at you, England], then having it constantly shoved in our face by them that we’re lost causes and better left to die.

Have you ever considered just how many of these new policies are actively killing off disabled people because we’re ‘expendable’? Immune-compromised or allergic to the vaccine people are still being told to pay their own hospital fees if they end up in critical care, and yet the reason they end up in critical care most of the time is because people haven’t bothered to be careful around them or in public spaces to stop the spread of covid around vulnerable communities. Hospital fees which, by the way, if you’re on a disability pension you don’t have the fucking money to pay.

The fact that most testing clinics are drive-by, meaning that the mobility impaired can’t get properly tested. Especially when rapid antigen self-tests are sold out everywhere. They can’t walk there, they can’t have family take them most of the time, and they can’t take public transport or they’ll infect others and be copped a massive fine for going on public transport while ill.

A lack of care about public health, particularly the health of the disabled, is leading to people in wheelchairs whose carers are abandoning them and leaving them to sleep and rot in their goddamn wheelchairs, because these carers don’t have proper PPE or rapid tests on hand or enough numbers left to care for everyone. The mismanagement in the disability and aged care sector right now is horrific.

Then there’s the fact that whenever we raise our concerns about this, we’re told to shut up and wait our turn. That we somehow don’t matter as much as everyone else. Told to “not worry” over it. We’re becoming even more isolated than usual. We’re dying off. We were already vulnerable, and now it’s even worse. The fact that we have to pain-stakingly advocate for ourselves in the middle of not only our usual struggles but also a pandemic to top it off is so much harder than abled people understand.

And then you have abled people crying over the pandemic because they “don’t want to catch covid and become disabled and unable to work, it would end their life” and how they would “rather die than become disabled due to covid”

If there were better supports put in place for disabled people and workers, and better management of public health in general, being disabled wouldn’t end your livelihood. You wouldn’t have most of these fears if you actually fucking put some effort into truely caring for your disabled communities instead of viewing them as sub-humans who you can’t wait for to die off.

So to any abled person out there reading this, start helping your disabled communities for the love of god please, start making calls to your local councils and start actually doing shit to support the vulnerable.

I’m sick of folk shoving us under the rug as if we don’t exist and won’t exist for much longer, because try as you might to get rid of us, disability is something that will be around for the rest of human history.

Because you are just one gene flare-up, one workplace accident, a few decades of old age, or one virus away from becoming like us. It could happen to any of you. We’re humans just like you and we deserve your fucking respect.

A one-pager about the The Home and Community-Based Services Access Act can be found as a PDF here.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), The Arc of the United States, The Center for Public Representation, the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), and the Epilepsy Foundation commend Senators Brown, Hassan, and Casey  and Representative Dingell, for the introduction of the HCBS Access Act (HAA), a bill that adds Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) as a mandatory Medicaid service. The HAA would build on the promises of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision and provide the Federal Medicaid resources necessary for states to fulfill those promises, so that no people with disabilities or older adults are forced to live segregated from their communities.

Over the past year, COVID-19 has laid bare the real-life danger of congregate settings for people with disabilities and older adults, as infection and death rates in these settings have been catastrophic. At least 100,000 residents have died in nursing facilities and other institutions for people with disabilities. For disability advocates, this horrific news was not a surprise. Despite the deadly risks of congregate settings and the preferences of people with disabilities and aging adults to live in their own homes and communities with their friends and families, hundreds of thousands of people are on waiting lists for HCBS across the country. Medicaid has always had an institutional bias that requires states to cover congregate settings while leaving coverage of home and community-based services (HCBS) optional.

The HAA will change this. By making HCBS a mandatory Medicaid service, people with disabilities will have access to the services they need to live in their communities, without having to wait years and years for these crucial supports. The HAA will also give older adults, often forced into nursing facilities because of a lack of home care, access to the HCBS they need to age in place, something that the vast majority of aging adults want. The more than 850,000 people with disabilities and older adults currently on waiting lists would be eligible for services. In addition to supporting people where they desire to live, more wholeheartedly ending the institutional bias is cost-effective. The average cost to serve a person with a disability in a publicly-funded institution in one of the 36 states that still has them is $294,300 per person, per year while the average cost of a person served with Medicaid HCBS is $49,854 per person per year.

The HAA also provides a funding boost for HCBS. It supports states to build the infrastructure and capacity needed to serve people coming off of waiting lists, better support those already receiving services, and transition people with disabilities and older adults who want to live in the community out of dangerous congregate settings. This financial investment is absolutely crucial, especially as the pandemic-created recession slashes state budgets, putting broad swaths of services at risk. The HAA would help states and support state funded services.

The bill would also address the race and gender disparities that currently exist in accessing Medicaid HCBS and prevent the unnecessary institutionalization of Black, Indigenous and other people of color with disabilities and older adults. And the HAA would finally begin to address the HCBS workforce crisis, the essential and frontline workforce that provides services to people with disabilities and older adults is made up of mostly women—and women of color, in particular. The HAA would ensure that these workers receive a living wage.

As the country works to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the HCBS Access Act should be at the center of that recovery to ensure that people with disabilities can receive care and supports in their homes and communities.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network(ASAN) is a disability rights organization run by and for autistic people. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities. For more information about the organization, please visit: https://autisticadvocacy.org

Innocent Black, Deaf Man Wrongfully Convicted

Notes from @simmersua:

Please do not make comments on Ricardo Harris’ writing skills. He captioned it himself. Some deaf people are affected by language deprivation because many hearing parents are unable to communicate with them.

The goal is 25K and it is currently at 3K. It has been up on the site for days. PLEASE do help this man out if you can! 

[DONATIONS]

1. Donation website

2. Cashapp - $kstarkssss

3. Paypal

4. Zelle -  [email protected] [UPDATES ON HIS SITUATION] https://www.facebook.com/Innocent-Deaf-Wrongfully-Convicted-Man-106061444455487

Click “keep reading” if you want to know why Ricardo Harris was wrongfully convicted. 

Ricardo Harris is an innocent African American Deaf man who has been imprisoned in Georgia since 2013 for a crime he did not commit. We are working to raise funds to try to pay to retain Attorney J.Scott Key to hopefully help free him. Ricardo was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison in July 2015. In January 2013, Ricardo was visiting his friends in Georgia on a winter break from college when he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time at a hotel. Ricardo went to the front desk receptionist and requested they call 911 but they refused to call for him. Ricardo then drove to the closest gas station and asked the cashier to call 911. The police arrived and communication breakdowns started immediately. Ricardo’s primary language is American Sign Language (ASL). Many of the errors in this case occurred because the Cobb County Police Department and Ricardo’s own attorney failed to provide qualified ASL-English interpreters for critical communication. Instead of providing qualified interpreters, Cobb County forced Ricardo to write in English and only provided an unqualified, uncertified former employee who knew basic signs. Ricardo’s attorney--who was disciplined for behavior in other client’s cases during the time he was representing Ricardo--also failed to provide effective communication for communication during critical communication. Ricardo’s trial attorney who the family paid $50,000 even allowed officers to continue questioning Ricardo with the unqualified employee and without the benefit of a qualified attorney to verify information. As a result, there were numerous misinterpretations and miscommunications during critical first communications. Without interpreters and effective communication, he could not participate in his own defense. All of this and much more was a violation of his civil and Constitutional rights. Ricardo would learn later that misinterpreted and written statements with police officers would be used against him in court. Officers in the court said that Ricardo repeatedly lied to officers during their interviews, stating that he changed his version of events several times. But this “changing of stories” is a clear example why violations of federal disability rights laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act require police to provide effective communication when interacting with deaf and disabled people. Ricardo has faced legal challenges largely due to communication barriers that are not recognized by police, lawyers or the courts. He has been in jail and prison with limited to no communication with his attorneys, advocates, and loved ones including a young child since 2013. Since his wrongful conviction, Ricardo and his family got another lawyer to work on his appeal for a new trial. In February 2019, Ricardo’s motion for a new trial was denied. After that denial, Ricardo’s appeal went to the Supreme Court of Georgia for review. In January 2020, the Georgia Supreme Court reviewed his case and upheld his conviction.Today, Ricardo still fights for his innocence. He is on a long wait list for help from the Georgia Innocence Project. Rather than wait for what may be years before the Georgia Innocence Project can possibly take on his case, Ricardo and his family are  exploring the option of filing a writ of habeas corpus. The cost of retaining an attorney to take on the habeas corpus case is typically a minimum of $25,000. Ricardo’s family has exhausted all the funds we have to pay for attorneys and legal fees. That is why we decided to set up this fundraiser with the goal to retain an attorney for the habeas corpus. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Every little bit helps in this fight. Please help us get his story out. Share this with your friends, families, co-workers, and anyone! Thanks so much for your time reading this story, and for your donations & support!Please follow this Facebook page where we will provide updates periodically. MORE ABOUT RICARDO 

Ricardo was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, and participated in the Army ROTC program. He was a star student having been involved with student organizations including served as Vice President of Ebony Club and community services outside the college including Vice President of a Head Start School program where his youngest daughter attended. He misses his family and his family wants him to return home. Copyright disclaimer: I do NOT own this video in the video. All rights belong to it's rightful owner/owner's. No copyright infringement intended.

When All This is Over, Please Remember Us

(Note: This is a heavily modified version of my previous post. I did this to make a more shareable article to send to able-bodied people. It also contains new information pertinent to Australia).

While the world goes into lockdown and people start throwing tantrums at being forced to change their routines, cancel their plans and give up fun activities, the sick, poor and disabled have watched on with considerable bemusement.

You see, for us, we’ve often been forced to self-isolate, often been prevented from participating in “fun events”, often been denied things we either want or need. When we have expressed our own frustrations about this, the world, quite frankly, has not given a damn. The sick, elderly and disabled of our society have long been viewed as a burden or as an invisible mass that barely registers in our collective consciousness. Over the decades, as a group, we have been denied by government and society alike such accommodations as tele-health services, the flexibility to work from home, support for mental health due to our often forced isolation and basic access to a livable wage or stipend.

Now these things are being made available for the healthy, able-bodied workforce. Suddenly, the government CAN afford to roll out these measures that we were told there was no money for in the budget. Small and medium businesses are being promised financial support, as are other workers and students (though there are many who are, at time of writing, still being left out of the most recent stimulus package). The current Australian Government, our conservative Liberal-National Party, is rolling out measures that would previously have been decried as “socialist”, because they realise that if they don’t, society will cease to function.  Of course, they haven’t really had a change of heart. All these packages are part of a desperate attempt to buoy our capitalist system so that it doesn’t implode. They want things to return to normal after this. It is telling that, out of all the increases and additional support measures, financial support has NOT been extended to disability support and carers' payments.  Once again, even though we are the most vulnerable to poverty and death in this crisis, we are still being coldly denied.

The word “galling” doesn’t even come close to covering it for us. We’re being told that these frantic attempts to stop the virus spreading are to protect those who might die from it. (In reality, many people can die from this virus, not just the immuno-compromised and elderly. This is for everyone’s benefit, not specifically us). Even if that were the case, it is not being reflected in the way society is reacting. Along with outright ignoring social distancing rules, people have been panic buying food and basic supplies as well as medicines and hand sanitizers. Do you know who regularly need hand-sanitizers, masks and medicines? The chronically ill. Do you know what it’s like to have a bowel or colon disorder such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and have no access to toiler paper? Do you know what it’s like to watch medications you need to function or live, being bought up by people who never gave them a thought before this crisis?  As I said: the word galling doesn’t even come close.

And don’t get me started on how online food deliveries have been suspended because of panic buyers. When you’re too sick to even leave your house, what do you do when Coles no longer delivers?

Then there’s the isolation. Studies have shown that sick, elderly and disabled people are far more likely to be lonely and to live on their own. We’re more likely to be in abject poverty and to be abused. We’re more likely to be unemployed. Many of us have been denied a disability pension because the criteria for it have become so ludicrously strict that huge percentages of us cannot get the scant support on offer that we sorely we need. The NDIS is riddled with failures and shortcomings. I have three disabling chronic illnesses, but the Government has decided they’re not disabling enough so I don’t deserve a pension; conversely, the disability work agency I attended deemed me too disabled to put into work. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing and “head” of state honestly doesn’t care.

We've long been denied access to events, shops, entertainment venues, parks and much more because they have not been made accessible to us. Many train stations and public buildings don’t even have lifts or ramps. Psychology services have increased in cost, and, without that magic pension card, many of us can no longer afford their rates because the Medicare rebate hasn’t been changed in years (it’s a pittance). We have been left in our homes, sick, sore and alone with little to no support, for decades. Now everyone is talking about “how to combat cabin fever” and “make sure you reach out to your mate for a phone chat or Skype!”  What about us?  Where were the community initiatives for us all these years?

This entire fiasco has also shown up Australia's deep class divisions. Most of the country's poorest individuals live in regional communities which have been treated abhorrently by the public this month. They have just gone through catastrophic bushfires and lost their homes and jobs, yet there have been numerous media reports of city slickers travelling all the way to regional stores and clearing out the food and supplies of our society's most impoverished. You know, the regional workers who grow, package and deliver that same food to the stores in Sydney and Melbourne. The selfishness is utterly breathtaking.

As this crisis unfolds, it shines a scalding light on the weaknesses of our systems. It has illuminated areas where we desperately need both more funding and flexibility. Now that everyone’s health and livelihoods are at stake, these things are abruptly being prioritized. In all the chaos, the chronically and mentally ill, the poor and disabled, are once again being sidelined and forgotten, even though we have been the ones advocating for these changes all along. So what can an able-bodied, comparatively well-off person do to help? The list is long, but here are a few key suggestions.

1.)   You can make an effort to reach out to any sick/disabled friends or family members by phone or email to check in on how they’re doing. Talk to them more often if they desire it and ask if you can help with things like picking up food and supplies.

2.)   Don’t panic buy. Make sure there’s enough stock for everyone, keeping in mind society’s most vulnerable.

3.)   Donate to homelessness shelters and non-profits that help this section of society. People are reticent to spend on anything but toilet paper right now, so please donate if you can as many charities are going to feel the lack of funds acutely, and we rely on them to survive. Charities often fill in where the government has shirked all responsibility.

4.)   Obey social distancing rules and don’t get us sick!  Practice strict hygiene and stay away from the public if you have symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to the virus. Continue to do this after the pandemic and for the love of God, get your flu shot!

5.)   Give us priority in pharmacies, testing centres, GP practices and hospitals. This virus is very literally life or death for many of us and we don’t want to have to fight you to get what we need to live.

6.)   Finally and perhaps most importantly, advocate for many of these measures to remain in place after the virus has passed. Things like working from home and tele-health services are the difference between our participating in society and being forced into a forgotten corner. This crisis has proven we can have a fairer, more inclusive society if we collectively put our mind to it. Don’t allow Government to roll back these accommodations once this is over. Keep at their heels to ensure they continue to invest in healthcare and healthcare infrastructure. Keep badgering them to increase Newstart and the disability pension.  Please, please, don’t allow them to forget about us again.

If you’re confronted by the fact you cannot go out to your favourite locations, that you may have to be stuck indoors for months at a time, that you may no longer be able to access the things you need to be happy or well, please consider that this has always been our reality.  The only way that can change is if we all decide it should. This could be the moment to do that, but we will need your support.

We will need you to remember us.

Minority Report (Quirkless)

Hello, I am a college student studying abroad in Japan. I would like to share the similarities and differences between the United States and Japan. This is to expand and teach others about how Japan is like to people from the outside.

This story was inspired by @aconstantstateofbladerunner who wanted a story that expanded on the world of My Hero Academia. Note this story takes from modern day Japan, but as an American it might not be entirely accurate. 

Recently I bore witness to an event that shook me to the core, there was a student. Normally this wouldn’t matter if I were to describe him, I would go so far as to say that he looked like he had a bad attitude. You could see it with the way he carried himself and glared at everything as if it all personally offended him. Yet, I don’t want to focus on him, that student will be mentioned later. What I want to focus on is another student who was at that event on the same day.

At first glance you can tell the other student is nothing special. In fact he’s very plain with nothing special about him. I would even say that he might be shy with how he held himself, trembling, looking at the floor when the heroes were talking to him. Not that I blamed him those talks were actually scolding.

You see dear reader, this boy did something crazy, he went running towards a villain, and from what I heard that same boy was quirkless. Let me give you some context on what was happening before this kid came running into the scene, throwing his backpack and clawing desperately to give a victim breathing air.

Earlier in the day at around 3:30 pm (roughly the time when schools let out) a villain with a sludge like quirk robbed a store. Luckily the occupants at the time were not seriously injured after the villain left, in a stroke of luck All Might, the symbol of peace happened to be in the area and gave chase. At some point All Might lost the villain in the sewer system which can be described as long winded and confusing, which allowed the villain to find a hostage.

After some research after the story broke the hostage's name is Bakugo Katsuki, he is a middle schooler with a quirk that allows explosions to be set off from his hands. When he was caught, the student tried to get away as any reasonable would try to do in this situation, this in turn caused complications. The heroes were unable to find a way to extract with the sludge villains clutches.

I’m not going to focus on them, what I want to focus is on the other boy. Despite all my investigation I could not find the name of the boy in any publications about the incident. There was one thing that stood out however and it was the boys status. He was quirkless.

At first I was surprised, but then I was impressed, not unlike a blind person learning to play the piano, or a deaf person learning to sing. Although these might be poor comparisons given the situation it did answer some questions I had in mind, but also bring some more questions. I finally knew why the heroes were scolding him, but I also noticed they were praising the other boy.

Not to rub salt on a wound or blame the victim, but the boy made things worse not only himself, but the people around him. Not to mention the heroes stood frozen as a child ran into the fray doing only enough to give another time to breathe. It’s a small thing, but it mattered the most.

Knowing this, I would have expected people in the area to talk about what happened. News stations talking about how this kid brought enough time for All Might to swoop in and save the day, but nothing. They talked about the victim, they talked about All Might, they talked about the villain, but they never talked about the other boy. 

What happened? In the United States the local news stations are always about bringing up local heroes, even if it’s as simple as inviting a stranger into their home for thanksgiving after a mistaken phone call (the stranger accepted), but nothing in Japan. It was as if the other boy was erased from the narrative all together.

I was simple to figure out what happened, the people involved were embarrassed. I couldn’t fathom about what made this kid different until I really thought about it. While in Japan I noticed an unusual tell when it came to people introducing themselves, they always said their names, and the types of quirks they had. This was especially true with children when my co-worker brought them to work.

It really started to make me wonder, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions. I knew that Japan had some issues when it came to how they did things. I know the United States still has issues when it comes to descrimination and racism, but when you really look around there is something clearly wrong. In Japan not once have I ever seen or heard of any people without a quirk.

I asked a few of my co-workers in the college what was up with that, and they told me that they didn’t think that quirkless was still even a thing in this country. Which made me wonder even more, I didn’t like how flippant the dismissal was from my friend. Another stated that the hate speech on the internet they have found in chat rooms has increased.

According to NGO reports, incidents of hate speech against minorities and their defenders, in particular, on the internet, grew. The national law on hate speech applies only to discriminatory speech and behavior directed at those who are not of Japanese heritage and is limited to educating and raising public awareness among the general public against hate speech; it does not carry penalties.

Further research shows that “Quirklessness” is a disability in Japan, with similar protections to any other disability by law. The Basic Act for Persons with Disabilities prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, intellectual, mental, or other disabilities affecting body and mind and bars infringement of their rights and interests on the grounds of disability in the public and private sectors. The law requires the public sector to provide reasonable accommodations and the private sector to make best efforts in employment, education, access to health care, or the provision of other services. The laws do not stipulate remedies for persons with disabilities who experience discriminatory acts nor do they establish penalties for noncompliance. Other law mandates that the government and private companies hire minimum proportions (2 percent) of persons with disabilities (including mental disabilities) or be fined. Disability rights advocates claimed that some companies preferred to pay the fine rather than hire persons with disabilities

Nonetheless, persons with disabilities faced limited access to some public-sector services. Abuse of persons with disabilities was a serious concern. Persons with disabilities around the country experienced abuse by family members, care-facility employees, or employers. Private surveys indicated discrimination against and sexual abuse of, women with disabilities. While some schools provided inclusive education, children with disabilities generally attended specialized schools.

Mental health professionals criticized as insufficient the government’s efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness and inform the public that depression and other mental illnesses are treatable and biologically based.

As I write this article, I am appalled at the complete lack of protections and descrimination faced by the minority. It’s as if they don’t exist in the eyes of the public and the government. There this one article written by a reporter, who covered a murder, but some how they spun it to make it sound like it was the victims fault. The victim was an elderly man who was attacked while on his way home with some groceries. Apparently there were many witnesses, but no one was willing to come forward.

Interviews stated that people assumed that someone else would help, that a hero would come to save the day. Others just didn’t care, assuming that the injuries weren’t as bad they looked. The perpetrators were never found and this murder became a cold case. To me this is clearly a hate crime, but to them it’s nothing, but another statistic in a growing trend.

I feel pity for that boy who ran, but at the same time maybe it’s better if people don’t know he’s quirkless. I bet life is difficult, I just hope that someone else see’s a good kid and sees what he has other than what he doesn’t. We need more people like him, because some people are too busy being full of themselves. 

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Sections of the text is not my own but taken from https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/japan/ (This in regards to italic passages)

If anyone has ideas on what should be brought up next, please leave a message. Not to mention any other reliable sources of information about Japan.

You want to talk more about the bigotry in Harry Potter? Go ahead! I've actually heard stuff like that before, but have yet to do much research on it personally and it's been a while since I read it, so I'm interested.

WELL

Before we begin I should start with a disclaimer: this analysis will be dedicated to examining as many bigoted aspects of Harry Potter’s writing as I can think of, so--while I personally am more or less comfortable balancing critical evaluation with enjoyment of a piece, and strongly advocate developing your own abilities to do the same--I know not everyone is comfortable reading/enjoying a story once they realize its flaws, and again, while I think it’s very important to acknowledge the flaws in culturally impactful stories like Harry Potter, I also know for some people the series is really really important for personal reasons and whatnot. 

So! If you’re one of those people, and you have trouble balancing critical engagement with enjoyment, please feel free to skip this analysis (at least for the time being). Self-care is important, and it’s okay to find your own balance between educating yourself and protecting yourself.

On another note, this is gonna be limited strictly to morally squicky things to do with Rowling’s writing and the narrative itself. Bad stuff characters do won’t be talked about unless it’s affirmed by the narrative (held up as morally justified), and plot holes, unrealistic social structures, etc. will not be addressed (it is, after all, a kid’s series, especially in the first few books. Quidditch doesn’t have to make sense). This is strictly about how Rowling’s personal biases and bigotry impacted the story and writing of Harry Potter.

Sketch Thing #1: Quirrell! I don’t see a lot of people talking about Quirrell and racism, but I feel like it’s a definite thing? Quirinus Quirrell is a white man who wears a turban, gifted to him by an “African prince” (what country? where? I couldn’t find a plausible specific when I was researching it for a fic. If there’s a country which has current/recent royalty that might benevolently interact with someone, and also a current/recent culture where turbans of the appropriate style are common, I couldn’t find it). Of course, it wasn’t actually given to him by an African prince in canon, but it’s still an unfortunate explanation.

More importantly, ALL the latent Islamophobia/xenophobia in the significance of the turban. Like, look at it.

“Man wears turban, smells like weird spices, turns out to be concealing an evil second face under the turban” really sounds like something A Bit Not Good, you know? If you wanted to stoke the flames of fear about foreignness, it would be hard to do it better than to tell children about a strange man who’s hiding something horrible underneath a turban.

Also, Quirrell’s stutter being faked to make you think he was trustworthy is a very ableist trope, and an unfortunately common one. “Disability isn’t actually real, just a trick to make you accommodate and trust them” is not a great message, and it’s delivered way too often by mass media. (Check out season 1 of the Flash for another popular example.)

Sketch Thing #2: The goblins. Much more commonly talked about, in my experience, which is good! The more awareness we have about the messages we’re getting from our popular media, the better, in my view. 

For those who haven’t encountered this bit of analysis before: the goblins in Harry Potter reek of antisemitic stereotypes. Large ears, small eyes, crooked noses, green/gray skin, lust for money, control of the banks, and a resentful desire to overthrow the Good British Government? Very reminiscent of wwii propaganda posters, and in general the hateful rhetoric directed towards Jewish people by other European groups from time immemorial. 

I’m also extremely uncomfortable with how goblin culture is handled by Rowling in general. Like, the goblins were a people that were capable of using magic, but prohibited by the British government from owning wands. That was never addressed. They also had a different culture around ownership, which is why Griphook claimed that the sword of Gryffindor belonged rightfully to the goblins--a gift isn’t passed down to descendants upon death, but instead reverts to the maker. This cultural miscommunication is glossed over, despite the fact that it sounds like Griphook’s voicing a very real, legitimate grievance.

To be honest, apart from the antisemitism, the way Goblin culture is treated by the narrative in Harry Potter is very uncomfortably reminiscent to me of how First Nations were treated by English settlers in North America, before the genocide really got started. The Goblins even have a history of “rebellions,” which both raises the question of why another species is ruling them to begin with, and more significantly, is eerily reminiscent of the Red River Rebellion in Canada (which, for the record, wasn’t actually a rebellion--it was Metis people fighting against the Canadian government when it tried to claim the land that legally, rightfully belonged to the Metis. But that’s another story)

In sum: I Don’t Like the implications of how Rowling treats the goblins.

Sketch Thing #3: Muggles. Ok because we’re all “muggles” (presumably) and because I’m white, talking about this might rapidly degenerate into thinly-veiled “reverse racism” discourse, so please y’all correct me if I stray into that kind of colossal stupidity. However, I am not comfortable with the way non-magical humans are treated by Rowling’s narrative.

The whole premise of Harry Potter is that Evil Wizards Want To Hurt The Muggles, right? Except that it’s not. Voldemort’s goal is to subjugate the inferior humans, rule over non-magical people as the rightful overlords, but that’s hardly mentioned by the narrative. Instead, it focuses on the (also egregious and uncomfortably metaphorical) “blood purism” of wizarding culture, and how wizards would be persecuted for their heritage.

But muggles, actual muggles, are arguably the ones who stand to lose the most to Voldemort, and they’re never notified of their danger. We, the muggles reading it, don’t even really register that we’re the collateral damage in this narrative. Because throughout the series, muggles are set up as laughingstocks. Even the kindest, most muggle-friendly wizards are more obsessed with non-magical people as a curiosity than actually able to relate to them as people. 

I dunno, friends, I’m just uncomfortable with the level of dehumanization that’s assigned to non-magical humans. (Like, there’s not even a non-offensive term for them in canon. There’s “muggle,” which is humorously indulgent at best and actively insulting at worst, and there’s “squib,” which is literally the word for a firework that fails to spark.) It’s not like “muggles” are actually a real people group that can be oppressed, and like I said this kind of analysis sounds a bit like the whining of “reverse racism” advocates where the powerful majority complains about being insulted, but... it kind of also reeks of ableism. People that are not able to do a certain cool, useful thing (use magic) are inherently inferior, funny at best and disposable at worst. They suffer and die every day from things that can easily be cured with magic, but magic-users don’t bother to help them, and even when they’re actively attacked the tragedy of hundreds dying is barely mourned by the narrative. 

It gives me bad vibes. I don’t Love It. It sounds uncomfortably like Rowling’s saying “people that are unable to access this common skill are inherently inferior,” and that really does sound like ableism to me. 

Either way, there’s something icky about consigning an entire group of people to the role of “funny clumsy stupid,” regardless of any real-world connections there may or may not be to that people group. Don’t teach children that a single genetic characteristic can impact someone’s personhood, or make them inherently less worthy of being taken seriously. Just, like... don’t do that.

Sketch Thing #4: The house elves. Everyone knows about the house elves, I think. The implications of “they’re slaves but they like it” and the only person who sees it as an issue having her campaign turned into a joke by the narrative (“S.P.E.W.”? Really? It might as well stand for “Stupidly Pleading for Expendable Workers”) are pretty clear.

Sketch Thing #5: Azkaban. Are we gonna talk about how wizarding prison involves literal psychological torture, to the point where prisoners (who are at least sometimes there wrongly, hence the plot of book 3) almost universally go “insane”? This is sort of touched on by the narrative--“dementors are bad and we shouldn’t be using them” was a strongly delivered message, but it was less “because torturing people, even bad people, is not a great policy” and more “because dementors are by their natures monstrous and impossible to fully control.” 

“This humanoid species is monstrous and impossible to control” is, once again, a very concerning message to deliver, and it doesn’t actually address the real issue of “prison torture is bad, actually.” Please, let’s not normalize the idea that prison is inherently horrific. Of course, prison as it exists in North America and Britain is, indeed, inherently horrific and often involves torture (solitary confinement, anyone?), but like--that’s a bad thing, y’all, it’s deeply dysfunctional and fundamentally unjust. Don’t normalize it.

Sketch Thing #6: Werewolves. Because Rowling explicitly stated that lycanthropy in her series is a metaphor for “blood-borne diseases like HIV/AIDS”. The linked article says it better than I could:

Rowling lumps HIV and AIDS in with other blood-borne illnesses, which ignores their uniquely devastating history. And Lupin’s story is by no stretch a thorough or helpful examination of the illness. Nor is its translation as an allegory easily understood, beyond the serious stigma that Rowling mentioned.

That Lupin is a danger to others could not more clearly support an attitude of justifiable fear toward him, one that is an abject disservice to those actually struggling with a disease that does not make them feral with rage.

This definitely ties into homophobia, given how deeply the queer community has been affected by HIV/AIDS. Saying a character with a condition that makes him an active threat to those around him is “a metaphor for AIDS” is deeply, deeply distressing, both for its implications about queer people and their safety for the general population, and for the way it specifically perpetuates the false belief that having HIV/AIDS makes a person dangerous.

Sketch Thing #7: Blood Ties. This isn’t, like, inherently sketch, but (especially for those of us with complicated relationships to our birth families) it can rub a lot of people the wrong way. Rowling talks a big talk about the folly of “blood purism,” but she also upholds the idea that blood and blood relations are magically significant. 

Personally, I’m very uncomfortable with the fact that Harry was left with an abusive family for his entire childhood, and it was justified because they were his “blood relatives.” I’ve had this argument with ultra-conservative family friends who genuinely believe it’s a parent’s right to abuse their child, and while I don’t think that’s what Rowling is saying, I do feel uncomfortable with the degree of importance she places on blood family. I’m uncomfortable with the narrative’s confirmation that it is acceptable (even necessary) to compromise on boundaries and allow the continuation of abuse because “it’s better for a child to be raised by their Real Family” than it is to risk them to the care of an unrelated parent.

Genetic relations aren’t half as important as Rowling tells us. For people with a bad birth family, this can be a damaging message to internalize, so I’ll reiterate: it’s a pretty thought, the love in blood, but it’s ultimately false. The family you build is more real, more powerful and more valid than any family you were assigned to by an accident of genes.

I can think of one or two more things, but they’re all a lot more debatable than what I have here--as it is, you might not agree with everything I’ve said. That’s cool! I’m certainly not trying to start a fight. We all have the right to read and interpret things for ourselves, and to disagree with each other. And again, I’m not trying to ruin Harry Potter. It’s honestly, as a series, not worse in terms of latent bigotry than most other books of its time, and better than many. It’s just more popular, with a much bigger impact and many more people analyzing it. I do think it’s important to critically evaluate the media that shapes one’s culture, and to acknowledge its shortcomings (and the ways it can be genuinely harmful to people, especially when it’s as culturally powerful as Harry Potter). But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t enjoy it for what it was meant to be: a fun, creative, engaging story, with amazing characters, complex plots, heroism and inspiration for more than one generation of people. 

Enjoy Harry Potter. It is, in my opinion, a good series, worth reading and re-reading for enjoyment, even for nourishment. It’s also flawed. These things can both be true.

Queer and Sparkly

Name: Hayden Age: 26 Location: Inner Western Sydney Occupation: Advocate/Activist Sexual Orientation: Queer Gender: Brotherboy

“A Brotherboy is someone who is a First Nations person to so called Australia, who was assigned female at birth, but who has a boy spirit, and lives their life through that boy spirit, and conducts their male cultural activities. That does not mean that they are a binary trans man, though there are Brotherboys who are, you can be anywhere on the gender/sexuality spectrum both in self identification, and in outward presentation. A Sistergirl is a female equivalent.” - Hayden

For a more complete definition of Brotherboy, read Hayden’s article on Junkee https://junkee.com/brotherboy-sistergirl-decolonise-gender/262222

I do like to make sure that people know that I may not present the way that they are expecting. As a trans-masculine person, people may expect me to present in a traditionally masculine way, but I wear high heels, I wear makeup, I have quite long hair. But I still am a trans-masculine person, I still use he/they pronouns, I just love looking queer as fuck, and being sparkly. I like to break down the gender binary and people’s understandings and assumptions of what people should look like.

When I was quite young I knew that I was a boy and would tell everyone around me that I was a boy. Going through puberty was very difficult for me, but I didn’t understand why. I knew quite early on that I was attracted to women, but I was about sixteen when I began to hear and understand the terms for that, which is when I started identifying as bisexual. When I was about eighteen I learnt what being transgender meant, but didn’t quite connect all the dots aside from knowing that somehow I identified with the concept until the proper realisation at twenty one. I began my transition at twenty three. I use the terms bisexual, queer, and pansexual for myself, but I more frequently use the term queer, as a way to use a term that I can identify with, and that other people can use without the incorrect preconceptions they may have with other labels.

When I realised I was transgender, but wasn’t ready to come out I overdid femininity in order to hide the fact that I identified as transgender. When I did finally decide to come out as trans, I went too far for my own comfort in the other direction. I presented super masculine, I did the leg spreading thing constantly, I only wore dark colours. I was very not me, but I felt that I had to in order for people to gender me correctly, which they still didn’t. It was this weird phase of trying to prove myself at the same time as getting comfortable with my gender. The more comfortable I came with who I am, and surrounded myself with people who made the effort to gender me correctly, and treat me with respect, the more comfortable I felt presenting myself in a more authentic way. And that’s where you see me now, wearing the colours that I like, and wearing makeup and high heels, and growing my hair out again. It was a case of “I want long hair, I am a guy, the people I know will respect me for that, so why am I going to change my appearance to suit a society that needs to progress?”.

To me being queer means pride, and comfort, and familiarity. It means having a community and a chosen family around me who support me and who I can identify with. Being queer is being myself and not having to hide anything about who I am as a person. Being queer is automatically political, because we live in a society that treats us as lesser, which is why I do so much activist work, to try and make the world a safer place for people like me.

I take my activism wherever I go. Originally I started being an activist for general queer and trans rights, and took that into the Irish dancing community where I fought to change the official policy to allow trans dancers to compete as themselves. Originally when I started transitioning, I was not going to be allowed to compete in the mens, which was not great. I also run workshops with workplaces to help their workplaces be safer for disabled and LGBTQIA+ people. Working with organisations, working with individuals, generally doing everything I can to make the world a better place for the LGBTQIA+ community, and somehow being a weird kind of semi-public figure.

Being a semi-public figure means that a lot of people recognise me, and I get greeted at queer events. Because people know who I am, they will go straight to me, or if something happens in the community I am many people’s first port of call. But I love it, I wouldn’t be doing everything to speak for and support my community if I didn’t love it.

A lot of the really affirming moments for me happened at my university because of the environment, Sydney Uni is quite conservative, so when people there are affirming, it meant a lot more. There was a barbeque being held for first nations students to get to know each other and I’d literally come out as trans the week before and had only come out to a few people. One of the support workers who I’d come out to introduced me to some first years by the name I’d given her a few days beforehand. Just the phrase “This is Hayden, He’s in third year...” it was the first time on campus that someone had introduced me by the appropriate name and pronouns. It sticks out so much in my mind because the environment of Sydney Uni is so conservative.

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Throughout life, we all face challenges, obstacles, and struggles. Some of them unimaginable. My name is Christi Berry, and my life has been full of all the above. I was raised in the foster care system and suffered physical and mental abuse as well as having a learning disability. I have dyslexia and while growing up, I was told that I would not be able to accomplish and or obtain many things and definitely not a college degree.

Life is a journey and there have been many tough times on this path. I recently completed both my Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees and would like to work on a master’s degree in Social Work. This endeavor is one of the toughest I have faced. My desire to attend a graduate program that could ultimately allow me to help others in my community as a credentialed professional is deeply-rooted in my lifelong struggles. This scholarship would allow me to continue my studies and upon graduating work to accomplish many deeds that need addressing in society.

Throughout my struggles, I always cared about my family, others and my community. Please allow me to share the fire in my soul that was fueled from Travis Monroe, my son. Travis was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and was recognized as highly functional. It is believed that this neurological learning disorder was most likely caused by him being stuck in the birth canal and losing oxygen.

As he grew, I knocked on many doors to obtain the needed educational services for my son and for many other underprivileged children I became aware of on this journey. After he completed the 5th grade I was still demanding the appropriate services, I filed a legal complaint with the State’s Department of Education and was finally able to have answers to the vast number of questions we were facing. My advocacy for my son allowed us to get a non-compliance violation ruling which deals with children's civil rights and Free Appropriate Public Education, (FAPE). This judgment forced a local Charter school to make changes in their programs so they would be in compliance with state law.

Due to my relentless pursuit of educational fairness for my son and others, this specific local Charter school has become one the most successful charter schools in the area. My diligence paid off and the school has now recognized the importance of every student’s success. The school continues to thrive and grow, providing a conducive educational environment for children in grades K-12.

The love of my son gave me the drive that I had for him and other children with a drive to overcome my own educational disparity. This led me to rebuild my life and realize that I can achieve the impossible. It all starts with seeking the help one needs and adding the right ingredients to have success.

Temporarily I was in a good place, I thought my journey was heading in a positive direction, and then another unimaginable event occurred. My son, Travis Monroe was killed. This devasting news nearly destroyed my family as it did my marriage. My husband turned to drugs and I was numb. I found myself in a dark place. There were no answers provided and no justice. Leaving us with the feeling as if my son’s life didn’t matter. Once again, I found that inner strength to be advocate for justice.

In this segment of my journey, I had to learn about the procedures and policies of the justice system. I learned how important it is to have an even playing field in order to get justice and some answers as to why Travis was murdered. What I found was a system that creates disparity along racial and economic lines and that I am the force needed to implement the change. I am going to be the pebble in the sand that causes movement towards change. Attached is a link to this video clip I made on disparity and social justice. https://vimeo.com/456936714/33f83c9742.

​Along this journey, I have been able to obtain the tools that allow me to look at things through all lenses and realize we put our trust and beliefs in a system that is broken. It is not fair, nor is it blind and there is systemic racism and social injustices that need to be changed. People who serve and protect should not engage in behaviors that are contradictory to their role. What I learned is systemic prejudicial behaviors led to injustice for Travis. I found conflicts of interest, mishandling of evidence and paperwork and the omission of critical information.

This action of ignoring procedures and policies is a deep-rooted miscarriage of justice. This is what leads to a lack of accountability and not having due diligence while serving the people who practitioners have taken a vow to protect and assist. What I also found was a message that the judicial structure only serves and protects each other.

I have always been the person that fought for the underdog, as I was one. I have discovered my calling during the mourning my son’s death. I want to help people be better prepared for trauma that could hit their loved ones too. I want to lead them to resources available to overcome the barriers. I want to prepare them for hiccups that come from a broken system. I found that if people can be prepared for systemic issues and see all aspects of the journey, it could reduce the systemic injustices that I found lurking in the whole situation.

Obtaining a master’s degree in Social Work would help me assist the next set of families who will be impacted by these devastating life and death events. I know that I can make a difference in a different style and direction to help families and victims that are affected by trauma and or economic disparity.

I am seeking to give them access to unbiased information on services available. I also want to prepare them to know that human beings sometimes make mistakes which can have an impact on outcomes, and this doesn’t have to leave them broken. I want to empower members of my community. I am committed to healing my community from decades of injustices and teach hope, love, and forgiveness.

This is what I believe is needed for people to bloom as we create an awareness to change biases and prejudicial behaviors towards others. We as a people need to break the cycle. We are not better than others who are targets of systemic racism and disparity. I want my son’s life to matter and it will shine through me as I lead by example and help rebuild our community through healing and repairing bridges of trust. This could happen by having a new Social Worker serve the victims and community members through outreach and empowerment.