Posts by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
(DIR) Post #AV5XTqzHmfIBrxKb56 by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-04-27T20:11:16Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Restrictions on #transgender rights and #abortion coming to #Kansas after #Republicans override vetoes https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-04-27/restrictions-on-transgender-rights-and-abortion-coming-to-kansas-after-republicans-override-vetoes #LGBTQIA+
(DIR) Post #AV7cYEZcvBE8GX9oh6 by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-04-28T20:15:46Z
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Since I broke the story of #Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller's new transphobic dress code in the @TexasObserver, he's doubled down on his bigotry in the media. For my latest update, I spoke with an employment lawyer, a former #gender law educator turned senior attorney for Lambda Legal, and #LGBTQIA+ advocates about why this dress code opens the department up to serious legal liability, and how decades of precedent suggest it could easily be ruled discriminatory: https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-dress-code-transphobia-texas-agriculture/#Transphobia #queer #nonbinary #trans #transgender #news #Politics #agriculture #SocialMedia #birdsite #Fascism (CW: eye contact with Sid Miller in main image)
(DIR) Post #AWCNqPflnk63sgCZsW by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-05-31T01:23:03Z
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Achievement Unlocked: my personal #birdsite account is blocked by the Lieutenant Governor. #politics #Texas
(DIR) Post #AWKp8WRJdIQo6iyou8 by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-06-04T03:15:44Z
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Queerbomb, #Austin's self-describes "radical" #Pride event. Austin's "official" Pride is in August for some reason. It was a wet parade... #LGBTQIA #Texas
(DIR) Post #AWQHoDjZL4gElKzNuS by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-06-06T17:35:39Z
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“You have to ask yourself why it’s so important for politicians and figures with large cultural influence like #ElonMusk to try to either ignore this or suggest it’s not true,” Michael Edison Hayden of Southern Poverty Law Center said. “It should be a no-brainer to want to distance yourself from things like incel misogyny or a purely hateful ideology.”.@TexasObserver's #extremism correspondent @stevanzetti has done important work here, reaching out to #Texas #Republicans and demanding they disavow the nazi beliefs of the #Allen shooter. Not a single one would do so. Stories like this are vital as they force us to confront the fact that key tenets of #fascism, such as hypermasculinity and extreme nationalism, are becoming mainstream GOP positions. Also, highlighitng the dangerous idol worship of figures like Tim Pool. Great work by Steven Monacelli that should be widely shared: https://www.texasobserver.org/allen-shooting-republicans-extremism/ #TimPool #MassShooting #nazis #racism #WhiteSupremacy
(DIR) Post #AWSTULIt4aPQDJiUt6 by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-06-07T16:20:30Z
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By me, from “The Awful 88th” at @TexasObserver: Although Republicans floated dozens of anti-#LGBTQ+ bills during the regular session, just a handful of them made it to the governor’s desk. Still, each one whittles away at the rights of #queer folks in #Texas in different and distinctly harmful ways. These include: banning medically-necessary #gender-affirming care for #transgender young people, banning transgender athletes from participating in #sports at public colleges and universities, a broadly written bill targeting “sexually explicit” performances (meant to criminalize drag performers), and a bill to ban or restrict public library books that #Republicans deem to be “sexually explicit” or “educationally unsuitable.”The most immediately harmful bill of the bunch looks to be Senate Bill 14, which prohibits evidence-based, frequently life-saving care for transgender young people under 18, including treatments like hormones and puberty-blockers, a reversible treatment to slow the onset of adolescence. Doctors caught providing these forms of #healthcare to trans kids would be stripped of their medical licenses, even though essentially all of the same treatments can legally be used on cisgender individuals (and most controversially, intersex people) under other circumstances. For example, some cis kids who enter puberty too early may be prescribed the same blockers now banned for trans kids.A coalition of groups including Lambda Legal, the Transgender Law Center, and American Civil Liberties Union (#ACLU) of Texas have pledged to sue to block the bill’s enforcement on the grounds that it creates an illegal double standard. Thanks to Abbott’s signature on Monday, the new law goes into effect September 1, and it’s already becoming harder to access trans healthcare in the state as doctors and clinics move or close. “In the last two weeks, we have probably gotten somewhere between 40 and 50 phone calls from panicked parents,” a leading New Mexico pediatric physician told the Observer. “What I’m hearing from families is that appointments that they had already scheduled are now gone,” said Dr. Michele Hutchison, chief of pediatric endocrinology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. That leaves families scrambling to secure care in neighboring states to avoid disastrous interruptions in treatment.Senate Bill 12, the so-called “drag ban” bill, underwent significant changes in its journey through the two chambers. Explicit references to #drag performers were removed but the bill’s scope was broadened to ban so-called “sexually explicit” performances anywhere minors are present. A last-minute addition targets the usage of certain prosthetic body parts, such as the silicone breasts or artificial phalluses sometimes worn by drag performers—and by some transgender people, too.“There is no good version of this bill,” said Ash Hall, a policy and advocacy strategist at the ACLU of Texas who focuses on queer rights. “Because it’s not limited to business premises anymore, a major concern I have is how this is going to play out in #Pride parades,” they said.However, Hall suggested Abbott might veto the bill because, as written, it could even affect performances by groups like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Of course, if this one is vetoed, the next step could be passage of a new version of the bill in special session. Already, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has called for a special session bill to ban drag queen story hours at public libraries. Despite the record-breaking attacks on LGBTQ+ rights this year, Hall said they find hope in the queer community, which came out by the thousands to oppose the bills.“They want us all to go back in the closet and be miserable or shut up, but we won’t,” Hall said. “#Trans people have always been here and always will be. They can’t legislate us away.”Read more at https://www.texasobserver.org/88th-session-texas-legislature-lgbtq-energy-schools/#politics #transphobia #trans #HumanRights #SB14 #censorship #books #Libraries #FreeSpeech #LGBTQIA+ #TXLege
(DIR) Post #AXbDp5CcchaccfVsqu by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-07-10T15:57:17Z
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Fuck nazis. Thanks to @stevanzetti of @TexasObserver for reporting on this trash, however: https://www.texasobserver.org/homegrown-neo-fascist-movement-marches-in-austin/#FCKNZS #Austin #Texas #Fascism #nazis #news #antifa
(DIR) Post #AY7n4ryEN4vIjh4EBk by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-07-27T15:37:49Z
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A 19 old #Texas teacher was fired for attending #Houston #drag show at the historic Hamburger Mary's #LGBTQIA bar and posting about it on her personal social media https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/houston-drag-show-teacher-texas-18262402.php via @Chron #homophobia(edit: corrected, 19 years teaching not 19 years old) 🤦🏼♀️
(DIR) Post #AYV6hVHtBlZJgV2xTk by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-08-07T18:42:12Z
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Public meeting spaces at libraries in almost every major city in #Texas, and many smaller ones, saw 'Brave Books' events this weekend, which promoted this extremist publisher's storybooks under the guise of freedom of speech. The events were supported by Citizens Defending Freedom, aka 'Moms for Liberty in Suits' which is simultaneously seeking to ban 100s of books in #FortWorth. More important reporting on #extremism from @stevanzetti at @TexasObserver: https://www.texasobserver.org/brave-books-texas-library-free-speech/(Edit: Corrected unclear language that made it seem like libraries hosted these events) #news #activism #LGBTQIA+ #homophobia #transphobia #books @bookstodon #censorship #libraries #Fascism #politics #USpol #children
(DIR) Post #AYV6hY1h0ROaB8UZ9M by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-08-07T20:22:08Z
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@ecsd @stevanzetti @TexasObserver @bookstodon I don't understand what this has to do with Steven's article. Can you explain?
(DIR) Post #AYV9ZoKymHjCJQW1c8 by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-08-07T22:37:32Z
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@mayonesa @ecsd @stevanzetti @TexasObserver makes sense, thanks!
(DIR) Post #AZ1C1fcPuSJPUFuyiu by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-08-22T16:48:10Z
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Something new from me: For @TexasObserver, I wrote about the #ACLU of #Texas lawsuit against Senate Bill 12, the #drag ban which is scheduled to go into effect in September, but is already having a chilling effect on performers in the state ... I spoke with drag queen Brigitte Bandit, Ash Hall of the TXACLU, and Ricardo Martinez of Equality Texas. https://www.texasobserver.org/drag-ban-sb-12-aclu-lawsuit/#news #LGBTQIA+ #USpol #politics #FreeSpeech
(DIR) Post #AZgKvGHFqbokMMKCQ4 by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-09-11T21:30:18Z
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My spouse worked for a short-term rental company, an #AirBNB competitor, and wow did I hear an earful from them about the kinds of chaos these places can cause. One factor driving away the individual homeowner posting their extra 'crash space' online vs. the massive conglomerates is how little help the companies offer when something goes wrong (i.e. a renter sets off fireworks in your house while you're renting it out). Giant property owners can eat those kinds of losses and don't have sentimental attachment to their homes.Excellent reporting here by Eva Ruth Moravec for @TexasObserver: https://www.texasobserver.org/short-term-rentals-airbnb-vrbo-neighborhoods/#news #Texas #housing #inequality #cities
(DIR) Post #AaTQ0HRp06qqTBRO5o by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-10-05T21:28:50Z
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A match made in heaven: @pluralistic and @MsKellyMHayes talk about the enshittification of the internet ... To Fight Big #Tech We Must Seize the Means of Computation https://truthout.org/audio/to-fight-big-tech-we-must-seize-the-means-of-computation/?utm_campaign=Truthout+Share+Buttons via @truthout #podcast #SocialMedia #capitalism
(DIR) Post #AaTZ8KtwwXBb5LVtqK by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-10-05T23:47:01Z
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@kfogel @pluralistic @ekis @MsKellyMHayes I'm working on a David Graeber book rn, but I think I need to read Cory's new one next!
(DIR) Post #AbqbndZQU0ogw1I8H2 by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-11-15T20:21:45Z
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This is a long shot, but my spouse is looking for someone who can donate a 3D printer or a laser cutter to a group of artists and #makers who used to experience chronic homelessness. It is an actual #nonprofit so you can get the tax write off. Please boost in case someone in the #fediverse can help.(Edit to add: in #Texas!) #art #MastodonArt #3dprinting #3DPrinters #fundraising
(DIR) Post #Abqk9OgRJPHMlgSVRQ by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-11-15T23:07:25Z
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@Alan_Smithee69 they already 3D print some of the homes out there. They are very cool and comfortable. https://www.dwell.com/article/community-first-3d-printed-houses-icon-mobile-loaves-and-fishes-3f950815
(DIR) Post #AcJ42K7vIHKE7N62bY by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-11-29T17:00:26Z
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This is a vetted study run by a #LGBTQIA+ person in one of my group chats. Pass it on to any #trans or #nonbinary young folks you know in #Texas.#research #science #students #HighSchool #schools #education
(DIR) Post #AdH8fdw3OghJCvbhsO by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2023-12-28T17:36:02Z
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Tiger vs #squishmallow#cats #CatsOfMastodon
(DIR) Post #AdUSY2fibG1dseKmae by kitoconnell@kolektiva.social
2024-01-04T03:36:44Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@Taweret I would squish it