🚨BREAKING🚨
I've heard multiple reports that the secretary of state has demanded that the state department deny passports requesting an X marker, and any changes to gender markers, confiscating the documentation with the application as well. This echoes similar action by several state Drivers License & Birt Certificate offices in the past year.
The most i have seen about this comes from a Guardian article, a lot of my most trusted orgs haven't reported on this yet. It seems there may be some uncertainty on the extent & specifics of this, a variety of claims are made in these posts. For now it is probably safest to not start any new passport applications with gender changes, and people with X markers may want to exercise caution around travelling internationally.
UPDATE: there is a breakdown of various situations in the comments of this post to explain further, there are some situations where you can still get a passport with your correct info on it
I've heard multiple reports that the secretary of state has demanded that the state department deny passports requesting an X marker, and any changes to gender markers, confiscating the documentation with the application as well. This echoes similar action by several state Drivers License & Birt Certificate offices in the past year.
The most i have seen about this comes from a Guardian article, a lot of my most trusted orgs haven't reported on this yet. It seems there may be some uncertainty on the extent & specifics of this, a variety of claims are made in these posts. For now it is probably safest to not start any new passport applications with gender changes, and people with X markers may want to exercise caution around travelling internationally.
UPDATE: there is a breakdown of various situations in the comments of this post to explain further, there are some situations where you can still get a passport with your correct info on it
constantly subjecting yourself to the horrors isn't activism, infact it's actively detrimental to building a movement. your mental health is more important than staying informed, especially when there's nothing you can do. A lot of this shotgun executive order tactic is about keeping us doomscrolling. as soon as we hear a thing, where do we turn? social media? the places owned by those guys in the front row of the nazi inauguration?
Here's what i suggest: log off and touch grass. legitmately. social media, our phones, this whole society is designed to be addictive. Think about what you use your phone for? how much of that can you do on the computer? do you need notifications begging your attention all the time? do you really need to be reached at any moment? turn it off and put it away, that's an outside-the-house device now.
and sure there are good useful corners of the internet, telegram can be a much better alternative than algorithmic media for example. Like any addiction, we need to approach this with a harm reduction outlook. This society is structured around an addiction to comfort, to keep us hooked on a sense of "normal", and it's going to take a long time to recover from the ways this landscape has affected us, but we must divest as much as we can.
Here's what i suggest: log off and touch grass. legitmately. social media, our phones, this whole society is designed to be addictive. Think about what you use your phone for? how much of that can you do on the computer? do you need notifications begging your attention all the time? do you really need to be reached at any moment? turn it off and put it away, that's an outside-the-house device now.
and sure there are good useful corners of the internet, telegram can be a much better alternative than algorithmic media for example. Like any addiction, we need to approach this with a harm reduction outlook. This society is structured around an addiction to comfort, to keep us hooked on a sense of "normal", and it's going to take a long time to recover from the ways this landscape has affected us, but we must divest as much as we can.
#resources
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26184/pg26184-images.html#chap04
(i will put a pdf in the comments)
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26184/pg26184-images.html#chap04
(i will put a pdf in the comments)
Remember, the fascists want us to be afraid, to feel they are strong and powerful and that they will ultimately hurt us if we don't obey. Do not give in
Fight fear with joy
Fight fear with humor
Fight fear with love
Joy:
A lot of us, especially those more targeted, are in a dark place lately. Joining together to enjoy each other and spending time in community is a great antidote to this, and it's much more powerful in person. Find others like you locally, form groups together, go on hikes together, hang out at each other's houses, hang out in public. Community means having people you can rely on when shit happens, it means having someone to talk to when you're feeling stressed. Try to organise events with your friends, it doesn't have to be large. Create spaces where the stress of the world can't reach us, even if it's only for a bit.
Humor:
Fascists try to create this atmosphere of power & strength, and nothing breaks that spell better than laughing at it. A tuba, trombone & slide whistle playing a circus march alongside a group of nazi's does a lot more to discredit them then a crowd of angry protesters. Keep making memes, challenge authority with jokes & satire, keep punching up. (note: but also keep it fresh, nobody wants to hear the same cheeto jokes a million times)
Love:
We need to recognise that everyone has been hurt by this corrupt culture we live under, and often that turns into the warped views and hatred that we see in the world. We need a movement built on love, a place that people can rest from the onslaught of culture war and actually heal from that damage. People need space and time to unlearn, and as we know too well, this world doesn't let us have any space like that so we will have to make it ourselves within our communities. When dealing with or thinking about people who have hurtful mentalities, try to feel empathy. They are expressing their pain, feeling sorry for them is a much more healing position then responding with anger and attacks. Not to mention it again takes power away from their position, they aren't this overpowering evil but a small child lashing out. (note: this obviously doesn't mean letting dangerous people into your vulnerable spaces, there's a good post about this i'll share)
A lot of the fascist playbook is based in controlling the emotional state of the populace, so we need to make sure we aren't giving them what they want. If we do the hard work of healing ourselves and living in a more emotionally liberated state of mind, that work will echo outwards in our interactions with others
Fight fear with joy
Fight fear with humor
Fight fear with love
Joy:
A lot of us, especially those more targeted, are in a dark place lately. Joining together to enjoy each other and spending time in community is a great antidote to this, and it's much more powerful in person. Find others like you locally, form groups together, go on hikes together, hang out at each other's houses, hang out in public. Community means having people you can rely on when shit happens, it means having someone to talk to when you're feeling stressed. Try to organise events with your friends, it doesn't have to be large. Create spaces where the stress of the world can't reach us, even if it's only for a bit.
Humor:
Fascists try to create this atmosphere of power & strength, and nothing breaks that spell better than laughing at it. A tuba, trombone & slide whistle playing a circus march alongside a group of nazi's does a lot more to discredit them then a crowd of angry protesters. Keep making memes, challenge authority with jokes & satire, keep punching up. (note: but also keep it fresh, nobody wants to hear the same cheeto jokes a million times)
Love:
We need to recognise that everyone has been hurt by this corrupt culture we live under, and often that turns into the warped views and hatred that we see in the world. We need a movement built on love, a place that people can rest from the onslaught of culture war and actually heal from that damage. People need space and time to unlearn, and as we know too well, this world doesn't let us have any space like that so we will have to make it ourselves within our communities. When dealing with or thinking about people who have hurtful mentalities, try to feel empathy. They are expressing their pain, feeling sorry for them is a much more healing position then responding with anger and attacks. Not to mention it again takes power away from their position, they aren't this overpowering evil but a small child lashing out. (note: this obviously doesn't mean letting dangerous people into your vulnerable spaces, there's a good post about this i'll share)
A lot of the fascist playbook is based in controlling the emotional state of the populace, so we need to make sure we aren't giving them what they want. If we do the hard work of healing ourselves and living in a more emotionally liberated state of mind, that work will echo outwards in our interactions with others
this is also especially important when we are trying to build and maintain community. I'm sure many of us have seen the ways that furry & queer communities get torn apart by infighting & "discourse". To have a real community we must be willing to be patient with eachother and actually help others heal
also, something i learned just yesterday...
There are protests breaking out in other countries across the world for us
it's being censored heavily here but we are not alone in this struggle, the world is fighting for us
(pls share posts about this in the comments if u have any)
There are protests breaking out in other countries across the world for us
it's being censored heavily here but we are not alone in this struggle, the world is fighting for us
(pls share posts about this in the comments if u have any)